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In addition, if your family's food consumption is long-term and you tend to freeze more than refrigerate, consider investing in a dedicated freezer that maintains food at temperatures ranging from -23°C to 0°C. Even during power outages, it ensures freezing for 48 hours with peace of mind.
If you're concerned about prolonged power outages, consider equipping a backup power supply or investing in a generator.
The optimal storage temperature in the refrigerator compartment is 4°C, and in the freezer compartment, it's -18°C to 0°C. Therefore, ensure there's always a thermometer at home to check the temperature of compartments anytime you want. Alternatively, if you don't have a thermometer, you can use your fingertips to assess the condition of food based on touch.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with 22kg of dry ice, a refrigerator can preserve and freeze food for about 2 days. This is why it's advisable to make plenty of ice in the freezer so that in case of a power outage, the refrigerator can maintain coldness for a longer period. If making ice seems inconvenient, you can purchase ready-made dry ice packs or gel packs to store in the freezer, ensuring peace of mind regarding your refrigerator and the food inside during sudden power outages.
During a power outage,
The best way to retain the refrigerator's temperature and preserve food well is to tightly close the refrigerator door, only opening it when necessary to retrieve items for meals, and minimize heat loss. A useful tip to determine whether the temperature inside the refrigerator is still optimal is to place a cup of ice with a zinc or iron coin on top. When the ice melts completely and the coin falls two-thirds down the cup, the food is still well preserved and can be safely consumed.
After a power outage,
The first thing to do when the power is restored is to check the refrigerator and the items inside. If using a thermometer, check if the temperature in the refrigerator compartment is above or below 4.4°C. If it's below this temperature, simply plug the refrigerator back in and use it as normal. In case the temperature is above 4.4°C, some items in the refrigerator may need to be discarded.
If meats, seafood, or eggs in the refrigerator compartment cannot be transferred to the freezer compartment for storage, they need to be used promptly. They may spoil when the temperature in the refrigerator compartment reaches above 7°C. Therefore, if left too long after a power outage even if these items are thoroughly cooked, consumption may still lead to gastrointestinal illnesses.
According to the renowned Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, USA, some items are still safe to be stored in the refrigerator at temperatures above 4.4°C for more than two hours, such as: bread, butter, cheese; canned fruits or opened fruit juices; spreads for bread like peanut butter, fruit preserves, tomato sauce, spices, mustard; thick and thin sauces used for dipping or dressing salads; whole fruits and vegetables that are uncut…
However, if the refrigerator temperature exceeds 4.4°C for too long, those items may spoil, develop a bacterial or fungal odor, and grow rapidly. Intentional consumption may directly affect the digestive organs, causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, or more severe conditions like intestinal, gastric issues,… even leading to death if not detected and treated promptly.
Therefore, carefully inspect the refrigerator; if any items have an odor, are slimy, moldy, spoiled, or feel unsafe, discard them all. Then thoroughly clean the refrigerator, organize the remaining items that are still safe for consumption, and put them back in the refrigerator scientifically. Wait for 20 minutes, then plug the power back in and monitor the refrigerator's operation to see if it's cooling normally.
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