No electricity, now what?

Updated 10/2019

Now that PG&E has cut power in anticipation of wildfire weather, I have made some changes to this post to better reflect what I have learned. Mainly, if I preplan, things will go much more smoothly. PG&E gave us enough notice I filled some empty plastic jugs with water and placed them in the freezer to freeze, so I did not have to rush out and buy ice. I also consolidated most of the frozen food in the freezer downstairs. Forewarned, is forearmed.

What if?

Someone asked me what I would do with food in my fridge/freezer if the electricity went out. I said I would not open the doors. But they clarified, what would I do if the electricity went out for several days? I did not know the answer, so it started me thinking.

Not that much later, I get a letter in the mail from PG&E stating that during times of extreme weather, they plan on conducting safety-related power outages. My interpretation of their idea is that this will, hopefully, cut down on PG&E being the source of wildfires in Northern California.

All of a sudden a “what if” has become a “what now” question and we need a plan. I did some research to make sure what I suggested would be proper, and relied on FoodSafety.gov (1), PG&E, ConsumerReports which I label CR (2), and FoodSafety News (3) as experts to augment my own thoughts.

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It was a dark and gloomy night…the air was wild, charged with the promise of hot winds and electrical storms. Fearing bad weather, we nevertheless set our alarms and went to bed, not prepared and wishing for the best. Being a heavy sleeper, I dreamt through the night of bees buzzing flowers, hiking trails through fields of basil, and cooking. The next morning the alarm started beeping and I got up, stumbled to the bathroom to start getting ready; then happened to wake up enough to notice that the electricity was out. I activated my cell phone and found a text waiting for me, notifying me that our town was going to be affected by a power outage. I was not prepared. The PG&E message stated we were to expect three days without power. Immediately, I thought about the food in the Freezer and Fridge. I had to act, and fast. (Actually my first thought would likely be to wake everyone up and panic, but that does not look good in a blog.) But what do I do?

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What now?

This is not a disaster movie, and I will not go through all that needs to be done to plan for power outages. I am looking at this particular scenario through a cooks-lens and what I need to do is save existing foods in the freezer and fridge, and plan on how and what to cook over the next few days. So here are my ideas on what the next steps might be.

Power Options?

First, while planning for an outage you know will occur, the obvious consideration is to have on-hand, some alternative power source. My comments below are over simplified, intending just to give you a sense of the options, and are not an in depth review or suggestion on which is better.

• A stand-by home generator runs on liquid gas or propane, requires gas lines and electrical integration with your home system. Depending upon the size it can power fridge, freezer, lights, medical devices and HVAC systems if you want. These systems make sense in areas with constant power fluctuations. CAUTION: May be expensive to set up, must be approved by your city, also can be very noisy and require gas tanks. Uniformly recommended for use in rural, not urban areas. Further caution is that these machines will create dangerous fumes so they need to be located in a well ventilated area.
• A ~2,000-watt portable generator is smaller, lighter, yet still offers enough power to run a refrigerator and freezer (from what the advertisements say). CAUTIONS: these generally run on gasoline, vent dangerous fumes so should be kept outdoors, but may be noisy enough to bother the neighbors.
• A solar power system with batteries will need professional installation, and costs for solar systems with batteries are in the $20k+ range. But may not help much in a power outage, depending upon when the outage occurs, and for how long. Also, it may be great if you own your home and can make that investment, but problematic if you rent or live in an apartment or condo. (This assumes you are not feeding the grid, cause in that case it seems PG&E gets your power, even if they turn off yours.)

Freezer/Fridge Options?

Second, if you cannot buy and set up alternative power sources, the focus has to switch to cooling alternatives for the freezers and fridges. The scenario I am laying out is like my house, there is a standing freezer downstairs and a French style fridge with a bottom freezer upstairs. I have just been woken by my phone alarm saying the power is out.

• Record the time the power went out on a piece of paper so we know when the countdown started.
• Saving food is about time and temperature.
• Wake everyone up, if they are not already up and wondering what the hell is happening with all the running about and making lots of clanging noise while you are looking for flashlight batteries.
• Gather all the ice chests and drive to a local 7-11 or grocery store to buy as many ice blocks of various size as can fill the fridge, freezer and ice chests.
• Have old fashioned thermometers in fridges and freezers already, as most cold appliances these days come with electronic temps, but that will not help when electricity goes out. Also have extra manual thermometers to place in the coolers.

Third, plan the next moves carefully so everyone is coordinated and the doors to the freezer and fridge are opened and stay open for a minimal amount of time while you rearrange items. (Standing in front of an open freezer, during a power outage, is not a time to argue about what to do next, or who should be in charge, so plan ahead.)

Downstairs Freezer Working from the bottom up, rearrange the food by adding an ice block to the to middle of each shelf and huddle the frozen foods together on either side of the block; or add a dry ice block to the top shelf (heat rises, cold air falls).

• A full freezer is supposed to stay cold (0F) for 48 hours, but it will only stay cold 24 hours if half-full.
• So the overall job is to quickly fill the freezer with frozen foods on either side of the shelf with a big ice block in the center.
• The frozen food should be packed in, so if we know there is not a lot downstairs then move food from the freezer upstairs to the downstairs larger appliance.
• Place any meat on sheet or baking pans to catch any drippings should they defrost.
• Since heat rises, I want my expensive foods on the bottom shelf.
• Add one bag of loose ice to the top shelf; If it melts and refreezes we will be able to tell and then everything gets tossed.
• Pull out any VERY EXPENSIVE food and plan to defrost that for eating, so it goes into a cooler.
• Any remaining space in the freezer should be filled by ice.
• From that point on, record the temp and time anytime the freezer door is opened, but the idea is to keep the doors shut

Upstairs Fridge should also be rearranged to add the ice blocks to each shelf and huddle food around it. I would also pull out what I am going to cook this day and move that to a cooler too. Once I shut the door I will not reopen unless needed.

• CR states that an unopened fridge can maintain the <40F setting (normally 35F to 38F) for up to 4 hours.
• (If you can anticipate, lower the temp settings so the fridge is colder than usual.)
• Adding the ice will increase that time, but at 4 hours I will open the fridge to check and record the time + temp. Adding dry ice should increase the time to 48 hours.
• Once the fridge reaches 40F the food will be good for 2 more hours, unless you can add more ice to increase the cold.
• After 2 hours at above 40F throw perishables out.

Using Dry Ice: CR states that an alternative to water ice is: “Fifty pounds of dry ice should keep a fully-stocked 18-cubic-feet freezer cold for two days” by adding it to the top shelf. (I found out from WikiHow dry ice is sold at Safeway, Costco, and Walmart!) If using this solution, be sure to wear leather gloves and long sleeves; dry ice is burning-cold and can harm. But also, it gives off Carbon Dioxide, so only use in a well ventilated room. In my case I can only use it in the downstairs freezer.

A critical note re: dry ice from DryIceCorp: you cannot shut the freezer door all the way if using dry ice for as it “melts” it produces gas that, if contained, could explode. This is also why you need to have it in a well ventilated room, the gas it gives off is carbon dioxide. Also wrap the dry ice in newspaper or cloth. I probably would not use dry ice given all the cautions there are about it.

Food Options?

Fourth, plan what to eat for the next few days, again to minimize door openings. You want to move the food to ice chests that maintain a <40F, put long lasting condiments from the fridge into one chest, defrosting food in another, and veggies/fruit in another.

• CR: “Bread, butter, fresh fruit and vegetables, jelly, and hard cheeses (such as cheddar) will keep at room temperature, so if you have them in your fridge, don’t be afraid to eat them even if the power has been out for longer than 4 hours.” I would put these items in a chest for condiments, with ice to keep cold.
• Further, CR reports that since “Apples, avocados, citrus fruit, carrots, celery, cucumbers, grapes, green beans, peppers, snap peas, and tomatoes are fresh foods that can be eaten raw [they] will be good for days unrefrigerated.” I would put all these items in a chest with ice to keep cold.

Fifth, during the power outage what do you do if your electric or gas stove does not work? I have a camping stove and gas in my shed to use, as well as a BBQ set and coals.

• First cook and eat all of the perishable foods that have been placed in the coolers and try not to eat items that are non-perishable in case the outage lasts longer. So defrost and eat hamburger or frozen veggies, not cans of beans and bags of rice.
• Take out some of the meat and perishable items, and invite the neighbors for BBQ as not everyone has a stove alternative, so it is a good time to share. Have them bring food over and have a party (during day light hours).

When Power Returns?

Sixth, and final note, is that when power comes back on, it is critical to check the temps in the freezer and fridge right away so you know if the food has been sitting at greater than 40F for 2 or more hours, and check the bag of ice to see if it thawed and refroze. If so, everything perishable gets tossed. Remove these items from the freezer and fridge immediately and bag up for disposal in the garbage.

Any of these foods left at 40F or higher for over 2 hours must be discarded.

• Meat, poultry, fish, broth
• All leftovers
• Milk, milk products, + Eggs (butter may be ok)
• Cut fruit
• Sauces
• Dough, pasta, cooked potatoes
• Soft cheeses, cottage cheese, brie

Phew, that is all a lot of work to save the food. But, if you are like me, there are hundreds of dollars in food in those freezers.

–Patty

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NEWS: An article is appearing around the world about a Chinese girl who became “blocked” due to consuming too many Bubble Tea Pearls. I do not know if this is true or not, but one thing to keep in mind is that we do not always know what we are being given (especially in other countries) and some reports show people actually using non-edible items (like rubber) instead of the edible tapioca black pearls. Additionally, Healthline reports: In the last few years, scandals concerning chemicals added to boba tea mixes by a few manufacturers and imported to the United States have been reported.  While an allergy to tapioca is rare, intolerances to the ingredient have been reported, primarily among those who have celiac disease or other digestive diseases. 

Articles: Added articles on millet, and umami.

Recipes: Sweet Hot Brussel Sprouts, Thai Fish Cakes, and a basic omelet