Power is out....

ochemjenn

Posting from my phone, so I apologize for any typos.

Our power has been our for a little over 5 hours now. I'm starting to wonder about the food in the fridge and freezer. Fortunately there's not a lit because I wad actually going to go grocery shopping today. I know fruit in the fridge us ok, and at this point the milk will probably have to go. What about things like cheese, salad dressing, pasta sauce, etc? I also have some prepackaged pork BBQ in the fridge. After how long will I have to throw all that away? What about chicken, fruit, and veggies that are in the freezer? I opened the fridge once, but the freezer has been closed. The last time it was this long without a functioning fridge I lived at home so I dong remember what's salvageable. Thanks for your help!

Ash61612

I'm not much help but I think if the food goes bad, you can claim it on your home owners insurance and they may reimburse you.

AllyG303

pasta sauce should be fine. FI leaves ours out for a day sometimes, and it always keeps. Fruits and veggies in the freezer should also be fine for a while, even if they thaw out.  Cheese lasts surprisingly longer than expected and should stay fine--just check it before eating to make sure it still looks okay. 

I would mostly be concerned with the milk and meat. Any longer than a day or two, and I doubt the fridge/freezer would still be cold enough to keep it edible.

ochemjenn

Good to know about the insurance! I'm glad the cheese should be ok. Looks like DH and I will be eating out tonight because the power still isn't back on.

naomikb

Ditto Ally... for the most part you'll be able to tell if things are good to keep or not (warm, smelly, etc.).  I'd keep the salad dressings and pasta sauce and fruits/veg for sure, chuck the cheese/milk/dairy if it's no longer cold to the touch.  Eat the pork for dinner and you're good to go.

The FDA publishes guidelines (http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm077023.htm, http://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm076881.htm) but they are always on the conservative side, and you likely don't have a thermometer in your freezer.

I'm pretty sure I recall that if your freezer stays shut it will keep things cold/frozen for 2 or more days.  But again, just check when the power is back on and see what remained frozen.  Meat and dairy that thawed you should throw out.

ochemjenn

Thanks for the link!

We got power back after about 8 hours.  Growing up the power didn't go out often in the summer, and if it did, it was only two or three hours.  It seemed to happen more in the winter (ice), but there was the option to put things outside.

znd13

Good to hear it's back on!
I live in Africa, and the power goes off all the time here(once it was off for 6 days). For future reference. If you just keep the doors closed and everything. Everything should keep for a day or two. We always keep bottles of water or ice packs in the freezer so we can put them in the fridge if it's off for more than a few hours, to keep it cold enough.

BMcLeodTeam

Growing up we had that big Ontario Blackout that knocked out power for a LONG time throughout much of the province. We learned then that the freezer, as long as you don't open it, was still totally frozen a day later, and frozen enough that food hadn't thawed out 2 days later.