Our second June prep challenge is to buy a cooler for power outages. More air conditioners go on during the summer and the chance of a power outage goes up. Your refrigerator will only keep milk, meat, cheese, and eggs safe for up to 4 hours. You can transfer these items into a cooler with ice. Or even put them in your freezer for a few days. June is a great month to watch for sales.
Buy a Cooler
- Read “Refrigerated Food and Power Outages: When to Save It and When to Throw It Out” from FoodSafety.gov. I hang mine inside the cupboard next to my fridge.
- Always keep ice packs in your freezer to use in your cooler when needed.
- Keep an appliance thermometer in your refrigerator and freezer.
- After a power outage, open your fridge once to see the temperature and decide if you should move items to a cooler or freezer. Refrigerators should be set at 40 degrees or below, and freezers at 0 degrees.
- A freezer can keep food cold for up to 24 hours if half full and 48 hours if very full.
- If you feel your power outage will be long, move milk, meat, and cheese into your freezer.
- Place ice packs in the bottom of your cooler, then food, then more ice packs on top.
- Mothers can keep an insulated cold pack lunch sack in your freezer for breast milk.
- Sometimes it will be safer to throw food out.
- For brands, watch Best Ice Chest Cooler In 2020 or Best Coolers For Ice Retention: Keep Ice Longest RANKED on YouTube.
Hope you can find a great cooler to be prepared for power outages.
Valerie Albrechtsen
The Food Storage Organizer
Purchase my food storage and emergency preparedness items in my Etsy shop.
