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Power outages are inconvenient, but they’re a reality we all face at some point. You don’t have to lose all of the food in your refrigerator because of a lack of electricity. There are some things you can do to keep it fresh a little while longer. The effectiveness of these methods is going to depend on where you live and obviously what season you’re in.
Protecting your food during a power outage is as much about safety as it is about convenience. Here are some ways to keep your food cold during an outage.
Dry Ice
If you have access to blocks of dry ice, you’re golden. This will keep food frozen for several days.
Frozen Water Bottles
If it’s cold outside, fill water bottles, milk jugs or any other container and put outside to freeze. Bring in the frozen bottles and pack around your food in an ice chest or sealed box.
Underground Storage
Dig a hole. You can line it with straw if available. Put the food inside and cover with a piece of wood. The ground will keep the temperature around fifty degrees without any help—assuming you don’t live in a hot climate.
Zeer Pot
This is an old-fashioned method that goes way, way back. It involves putting food inside a small clay pot. Put the smaller pot in a larger clay pot and fill with wet sand. The evaporating water will cool the smaller pot.
Creek/Stream
Submerge your food in water. You’ll want to secure it in a waterproof container first. The running water will keep the food cold. Make sure you secure your ice chest or other container to keep it from rushing downstream.
Snow
If you have snow outside, grab your ice chest, fill it and bury it in the snow. For things that are sealed, you can put them directly into the snow.
Root Cellar
This is a nice, cool fridge for fruits and veggies. Depending on the season, your root cellar might keep things a cool 40 degrees while others tend to be a little warmer.
Basement
Unfinished basements are naturally cooler. Depending on the season, it might be cool enough to keep items that need to be chilled, but not cold.
Night Cooling
Putting food outside at night if the temps are below fifty is an option. You’ll still need to find a way to keep it cool in the day.
Ice Chest
Place your food in an ice chest and cover with ice from your icemaker. The smaller, compact space will keep the food colder longer than it sitting in your freezer.
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