Q. Last week, our power was turned off because of the strong winds. Unfortunately, we had to throw away a lot of food because our freezer and refrigerator were off for 2 days. In the future, what can we do to minimize the loss of food?
We were in the same boat last week. If the power is out for only an hour or two, chances are your food will be OK if you keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed. I strongly recommend purchasing a thermometer for each refrigerator and freezer and placing them where they can be read easily (not buried in the back of the produce drawer!). This is especially important for the refrigerator because perishables are not safe if they have been held at 40F or warmer for 2 hours or longer. Items in the freezer will stay in a safe temperature range for longer, but their quality may suffer if they partially thaw and refreeze (for instance, ice cream will develop ice crystals).
Items in a chest-type deep freezer will fare better than those in an upright, frost-free model. Frost-free freezers periodically cycle to warmer temperatures in order to melt any ice crystals whereas a freezer that needs periodic manual defrosting keeps a constant lower temperature.
If the power goes out, and you suspect it may be out for longer than 2 or 3 hours, fill a cooler with ice and move as many perishables as possible onto the ice. If available, dry ice can be used to keep food frozen. Dry ice is most effective when placed in a chest freezer or chest cooler. Use caution when handling dry ice—it can cause painful frostbite if bare skin comes in contact. Wear heavy leather gloves and don’t hold it for too long. Don’t place it in an airtight container. As it sublimates (changes from solid directly into gaseous carbon dioxide), it can cause a tightly sealed container to burst. When placing in a freezer or cooler, wrap it in newspaper or a towel to prevent it from coming into direct contact with anything that could be damaged by extreme cold (most plastics and glass, for instance). When transporting dry ice in your vehicle, keep your windows open and drive directly home. The carbon dioxide gas will displace oxygen and cause unconsciousness and suffocation without warning if it’s in an enclosed space.
During a power outage, it’s hard to cook, especially when you can’t even light your grill. A few years ago, our big freezer went out and we had a lot of food that was going to be lost. Fortunately, my teenage son invited a bunch of his friends over and they managed to take care of all of the endangered food in an astonishingly short time.
Los Angeles County
mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/
Orange County
ucceocmghotline@ucanr.edu; http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/
Riverside County
anrmgriverside@ucanr.edu; 951-955-0170; https://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/
San Bernardino County
mgsanbern@ucanr.edu; 909-387-2182; http://mgsb.ucanr.edu