How to Keep Food in Refrigerator Cold When Power Goes Out

Major storms such as hurricanes Sandy, Katrina and Harvey have caused thousands of Americans to go without power, and to lose valuable food stored in refrigerators and freezers. If you have a portable generator, you may be able to keep things in your refrigerator or freezer cold for a while longer, that is if you have enough gas to keep the generator running. However, if you are like most folks, you will not have any way to keep food from spoiling if the power goes out. You can prolong the time that food stays frozen in your refrigerator by following these simple steps.

While The Power Is Still On

If you expect to have power for several hours before a storm hits your area, consider freezing jugs of water inside your freezer. If you don't have that much time, place bags of ice from the corner store in your freezer while the power is still on. Be sure to enclose the bags in a couple of plastic garbage bags, so that when the ice melts it won't run out into your fridge. Take any things you may need to use for the next few days, and which don't have to be refrigerated, (such as ketchup, pickles in brine, mustard, etc,) so that you don't have to keep opening the refrigerator door unnecessarily. Next, set the temperature of your fridge to the lowest setting possible. This may cause vegetables such as lettuce to wilt, but will help the fridge to stay colder longer when the power goes off by pre-cooling the food inside the fridge.

Keeping Your Fridge Cold After The Power Goes Out

Once you lose power, try to avoid opening your fridge, except for when you absolutely need to do so. Cover the front and sides of your fridge with heavy blankets. Moving blankets, sleeping bags or any heavy type of blanket will act as insulation, keeping food inside your fridge cold longer after the power goes out. If you have time before the storm, consider purchasing a roll of R-Max radiant barrier insulation and tape sections to the front and sides of your fridge before placing blankets around it. Place as many blankets around the fridge as you can, but don't cover up the air space in back of your fridge or in front, so if the power does come back on it can operate properly. If you do need to open your fridge to get food out, try to do it quickly, while ducking underneath the blankets covering the door.

If you follow these steps, food should stay cold in your fridge after you lose power for about two to five days. It depends greatly what the room temperature of your kitchen is, and how much frozen food and ice you start with in the freezer section of your fridge.

Caution When Using Food From A Refrigerator After Power Has Gone Out.

If you have a small thermometer, place it inside of your fridge. Don't use food from your fridge after the temperature has risen above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the USDA, "Foods held at temperatures above 40 °F for more than 2 hours should not be consumed."

The quarter trick is often shared widely on social media following a storm. Here is how to check to see if your freezer has thawed while you were away and possibly avoid eating contaminated food.

Step 1

Freeze a plastic cup of water approximately 3/4 full.

Step 2
After the cup of water has frozen, place a quarter on top of the ice.

Step 3

Place the cup inside your freezer compartment in a secure place, towards the back.

Step 4

After returning home after a storm, you can check to see if the quarter is still sitting on top of the ice. If it has fallen to the bottom, it means that at some point your freezer lost power and thawed out. Food inside may be spoiled and should not be eaten!