Protecting Foods
During a Power
Outage
The United States Department of Agriculture says you can protect your frozen and refrigerated foods during a power outage or refrigerator malfunction by following these tips:
* If your freezer is full, it will stay at freezing temperatures for about two days; a half-full freezer about one day provided that you keep the door closed as much as possible. If the freezer is not full, clump foods and packages together to help keep them cold.
* In general, non-perishable refrigerated items should be safe for up to four hours. Discard perishable foods, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers that have been above 40 degrees for two hours or more, as well as any food that shows unusual odor, color, or texture, or feels warm to the touch.
* If you think the power may be out for several days, put dry or block ice in the freezer and refrigerator. If only a small amount of the food is worth saving, use a cooler filled with ice.
* Don’t open the door to the refrigerator or freezer any more than necessary.
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