Opinion time

[Alpo]

How long do you reckon an unopened fridge and unopened freezer would keep food?

 

A book.

 

Hurricane. Power's out. Living on the generator. The roads are opened, and our hero goes to another town, overnight.

 

Comes back home the next day and fires up the generator. Not no portable thing - huge multi-thousand watt propane thingy, like a hospital would have for backup.

 

Just got me to wondering about how that day without juice might have affected his cold storage.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Totally depends on the air temp surrounding the refrigerator.

OLG

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

well for a decent freezer, the stuff is still frozen. The refrigerator is a different story. Food storage guidelines say that if food is in the temperature range 40 to 140 for more than 4 hours, it must be discarded. Those guidelines ignore all reality and prefer generality over specific cases. The reasoning is that it has begun bacterial growth at a rate that can't be stopped by refrigeration. If I had a restaurant or store where I had to be concerned about the health of my customers, I would throw it all out, my insurance company would insist on it

 

Examples of places where I would ignore the rules when I am talking about my own food: Fruits and vegetables that are in their original uncut state, cured meats, eggs. Things loaded with acid, like mustards, catsups, meats that I will cook immediately and thoroughly. Formerly cooked foods would all go or be eaten immediately. If they smell bad, they go.

[Eyesa Horg]

I've used the smell/visual check without issue. And add some common sense. I know it's the least of all senses--but give it a shot.

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

I do appliance service repair for a living .

Unopened I would say 24hr Max .

Most stuff should be OK.

 

But the out side and house temperature will play a roll also .

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

smells and bad tastes are nature's way of warning you that foods might be bad.

 

A full freezer is safer than a 1/4 full freezer.

Edited January 3, 2017 by Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984

[Dawg Hair, SASS #29557]

A fridge, hours. A freezer, 24 hrs............maybe.

 

Been there.

Edited January 3, 2017 by Dawg Hair, SASS #29557

[Pat Riot]

In a modern fridge or freezer:

Fridge 24 hours. The food should be cool but still edible.

Freezer 36 or more...It won't be frozen at 36. Might not be frozen at 24.

 

After that. Smell test.

[Noz]

In a modern fridge or freezer:

Fridge 24 hours. The food should be cool but still edible.

Freezer 36 or more...It won't be frozen at 36. Might not be frozen at 24.

 

After that. Smell test.

+1

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

In a modern fridge or freezer:

Fridge 24 hours. The food should be cool but still edible.

Freezer 36 or more...It won't be frozen at 36. Might not be frozen at 24.

 

After that. Smell test.

 

YMMV.

 

Mine is still 100% frozen after 36 hours. I only have electrical problems in the winter and the cellar would be no warmer than 40F.

 

Then there was the time I defrosted the freezer. I only to it in the winter when I can put everything in an outdoor icechest. The outdoor temp was -10. I moved everything out, defrosted the freezer successfully and moved everything still frozen back to the freezer. I was so damned clever. three weeks later I discovered that I forgot to plug in the freezer and threw everything out. Best way to get the bad smell out of the freezer was to leave a bin of fresh coffee grounds in it. Buy the cheapest two pound bag of beans you can find and use the store's grinder to grind it all fresh.

[Sedalia Dave]

smells and bad tastes are nature's way of warning you that foods might be bad.

 

A full freezer is safer than a 1/4 full freezer.

That is why I have a stash of 2 liter soda bottles by the freezer. Use then to take up any excess space. Need more room I remove a few. They also double as an emergency source of fresh water.

 

A chest freezer will keep a lot longer than an upright.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

That is why I have a stash of 2 liter soda bottles by the freezer. Use then to take up any excess space. Need more room I remove a few. They also double as an emergency source of fresh water.

 

A chest freezer will keep a lot longer than an upright.

Yeah, I use gallon jugs.

[Chief Rick]

A fridge, hours. A freezer, 24 hrs............maybe.

 

Been there.

In summer temps - this.

 

A freezer that is full will maintain cooler temps longer. Always a good idea to take up any extra space in a freezer with frozen water bottles. It also makes the freezer more efficient.

Edited January 4, 2017 by Chief Rick

[Three Foot Johnson]

I took an extended vacation in 2005 - bought a new F350 Power Stroke and a new 32' trailer and hit the road. Got back a couple months later and found the power had been off due to a lightning strike on my end-of-the-line transformer for about 7 of those 8 weeks... there was no doubt at all that was too long! I ended up spending a few more nights in the trailer while the house was being cleaned and de-smelligated. How the hell do maggots get in a damn freezer anyway?

[Cat Brules]

I took an extended vacation in 2005 - bought a new F350 Power Stroke and a new 32' trailer and hit the road. Got back a couple months later and found the power had been off due to a lightning strike on my end-of-the-line transformer for about 7 of those 8 weeks... there was no doubt at all that was too long! I ended up spending a few more nights in the trailer while the house was being cleaned and de-smelligated. How the hell do maggots get in a damn freezer anyway?

I took an extended vacation in 2005 - bought a new F350 Power Stroke and a new 32' trailer and hit the road. Got back a couple months later and found the power had been off due to a lightning strike on my end-of-the-line transformer for about 7 of those 8 weeks... there was no doubt at all that was too long! I ended up spending a few more nights in the trailer while the house was being cleaned and de-smelligated. How the hell do maggots get in a damn freezer anyway?

You probably don't want to know.

:-(

[Seldom Seen #16162]

Here is a easy way to check if the food in your freezer is still good after a power failure.

 

Keep a cup of frozen water in your freezer.

 

When a power failure occurs stand the cup upright in the freezer and put a quarter (coin) on top of the ice.

 

After the power comes back on open the freezer and check the cup and coin.

 

If the coin is still on top of the ice the food is fine as the freezer never thawed.

 

If the coin is partway in the ice it means the freezer thawed for a short time and then refroze when the power came back on. The food may be ok to eat. Check the food carefully before cooking.

 

If the coin is at the bottom of cup throw away the contents of the freezer.

 

I bet you have never read about this in your books.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

A. Freezer that is self defrosting such as would be part of a fridge freezer combo is nowhere near as. Good as a. Freezer that just stays frozen

[Alpo]

Here is a easy way to check if the food in your freezer is still good after a power failure.

 

Keep a cup of frozen water in your freezer.

 

When a power failure occurs stand the cup upright in the freezer and put a quarter (coin) on top of the ice.

 

After the power comes back on open the freezer and check the cup and coin.

 

If the coin is still on top of the ice the food is fine as the freezer never thawed.

 

If the coin is partway in the ice it means the freezer thawed for a short time and then refroze when the power came back on. The food may be ok to eat. Check the food carefully before cooking.

 

If the coin is at the bottom of cup throw away the contents of the freezer.

 

I bet you have never read about this in your books.

Actually I read you keep the coin on top of your cup of ice, all the time.

 

If, while you're away (EOT, for example) and the power goes out for a couple days, when you get home a week later you would not know, as everything had refrozen.

 

But if the coin is now on the bottom of the cup of ice, you say "SHAZBOT", and throw it all out.

[Eyesa Horg]

Dang, never thought of sayin' SHAZBOT I'd of definitely been a little less PC