Power Outages

I will be really upset if the power goes out. I stocked my fridge earlier in the week, before I heard about this storm... with about $200 worth of food, most of it in dairy.

I wasn't home tonight and won't be home at all tomorrow, so I can't try and eat the food or do anything with it.

I have 2 dozen eggs, about 15 yogurts, a full container of half & half, a big full container of sour cream, 2 cups of heavy cream, brie cheese, 4 blocks of cheddar cheese, marie's blue cheese dressing, a package of chopped turkey, a package of mushrooms and more!

I thought everything would be good for at least 24 hours after the power went off if I didn't open it or kept ice in there... now I read only 4 hours. Four Hours?!?

I can't afford to lose all of this food. any advice? I feel so stupid for stocking up on a fridge full of dairy before a storm where I am bound to lose power.

Re: Power Outages

I would put what you can in the freezer since it will last longer in there. The cheddar, turkey, and cream can all be frozen for sure. I would google to see about some of the other items. Here's a link with guidelines for freezing dairy.

Re: Power Outages

Fours hrs does not seem right. I thought it was 24 hrs too, esp if you dont open it much.

Re: Power Outages

i filled a cooler with ice before irene and kept it on my kitchen floor. i kept all the yogurt, milk, cheese sticks etc. in there and we ate them for the 4 days ( ) that we had no power.

i would freeze anything you can and freeze water bottles and ziploc bags with water in your freezer to keep it colder longer.

Re: Power Outages

I understand your frustration.

I will grill up what we can or fortunately, we have gas stove/oven.

I know this isn't a guarantee, but last year, when we were w/o power for several days, a friend took in all of our frozen food so it didn't go bad.

On the bright side of things, I would rather be out all our food vs. having a tree fall on our house or worse ;).

Power Outages

Refrigeration tips

Turn your refrigerator and/or freezer to the coldest setting now to maintain food-preserving temperatures should power be lost.
Minimize opening and closing the doors if you lose power.
Food in a fully-loaded freezer can last up to two days without power; one day if half-full.
If you have empty space in your freezer, fill that space with plastic bottles filled with water.