Power outage! What food is safe?

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We had a bad power outage during a thunderstorm here yesterday. My power was off from 1:50 PM Sunday until 8:00 AM today. That's about 18 hours.

Will eggs in the 'frig be okay to eat? Margarine? I'm throwing out some leftovers and ice cream and probably, milk. Not sure about broccoli in the refrigerator.

My son called last night from near San Antonio and said he'd researched the problem. About 300,000 here were without electricity. Oddly, my maid said it was off in south Dallas (poor part of town) for only a few hours. I guess it proves that storms don't discriminate about where they do the most damage! :D

I can't tell you how happy I was to have the stove working again and me making a cup of tea!
 
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It would depend on how hot it got in that fridge. I'll assume the door stayed closed and it wasn't actually hot or warm inside but just not cold. The broccoli should be fine (raw unprepared) The milk is probably OK but will go fast. Margarine should be OK and the eggs too. Use them quick. This is all assuming it hadn't turned into an oven for hours. Hard boil the eggs if it makes you feel better. Cheese should be good. lots of things can stand being less than cold but it does shorten their life.
 
Did the ice cream thaw completely?
Freezers will stay cold for 2 days at least, if not opened.
If ice crystals remain on the food then the stuff in the fridge should be OK. Ice cream can refreeze, it just looks odd and will taste a bit watery.
Smell check the milk and anything thawed in in the freezer should be good if kept in the fridge and used soon.
Fruit and fresh veggies will be fine.
 
A lot will depend on how long these items had been in the frig before
the power outage. The food stuffs you mentioned should be fine. Not
knowing what your leftovers are, I vote with you on tossing those.
Note, start using real butter as it can be left covered on the table for
days without becoming rancid.
 
Old Arkansawyer said:
A lot will depend on how long these items had been in the frig before
the power outage. The food stuffs you mentioned should be fine. Not
knowing what your leftovers are, I vote with you on tossing those.
Note, start using real butter as it can be left covered on the table for
days without becoming rancid.
Click to expand...

From what I understand the butter needs to be the salted variety to be left out. That is what I always buy anyway.
 
Kurusu said:
Any game you just killed will be safe. That much I know.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Mario-

Maybe I'll lean out a window and snipe a few starlings or grackles with a .22...or go by a nearby lake and see if I can take a couple of ducks out of season. If it gets bad enough.

Seriously, I have some canned and rip-open salmon pouches and some canned sardines.

By tomorrow, my grocer should have thrown out what they need to and have restocked.

My son called and said he'd heard on the news that a Kroger store near me was already throwing out perishable groceries last night. Old Arkansawyer: my leftovers were just a pan each of Ranch Style beans and mixed vegetables. Not like I was keeping the remains of a turkey, thank goodness.

The sad thing is that he also heard that the nearby Park Cities still have power off and may not get it back for another day.
That's where the people who own a football team or dept. stores or run the TV stations live. You'd think they'd be the first to get power fixed. Maybe they had more trees blow down over their phone lines. :confused:

I'm surprised that more of our Dallas members haven't posted about this. It was the worst blackout I've experienced.
 
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Commercial eggs in the USA should be refrigerated. (No salmonella vaccines for US chickens).
Free range kackleberries can last for couple weeks at room temp.
Storebought eggs...toss ‘em if the fridge got to room temp.
Long range sailors (without refrigeration)use vaseline to coat the shell.
In England, Australia, Mexico eggs are generally sold and kept at room temp.
Broccoli never goes bad.;)
 
Broccoli should have been thrown out before ever getting home. Not allowed in my house.

I had the same issues, but got mine back about 20:30. This morning, heading out for my daily hospital run, I saw a lot of trees down, and at least half of the intersection lights were either flashing all red or out completely.

I keep my cold packs in a drawer in the middle of the fridge, so it would have to be off for at least 24 hours to get to room temp.
 
Seems to me, just about anything in there that you cook thoroughly ought to be okay. I don’t think 18 hours is all that much, especially if you were not opening the fridge door all the time.

My wife used to freak me out by leaving soup and stews overnight on the stovetop. (My mother was a stickler for putting everything in the fridge right away.) The wife just reheats it to a boil again the next day and it’s always fine.

In fact, soup and stew tend to taste better after a day or two or three... (Just be sure to thoroughly reheat it tho!)

I suggest, by the way, if your area is subject to blackouts, a little butane burner is a handy thing to have on hand. I have not experienced a blackout in years, but use the burner on the patio for steaks and such when I don’t want to smoke up the house, but also don’t want to fire up one of the BBQs. (Iwatani, available on Amazon, is the best, but pricey at $70 or so last I looked. Cheap ones are maybe $20.)

Re TexMex’s comment on eggs and other countries: Should You Refrigerate Eggs?
 
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Personal experience, throw out the shrimp. No power outage, got it home from the store (Stater Bros, So Cal) bad. Pooping mucus and blood for a week before I finally went to the doctor. After the first day on anti bios it cleared up.
 
Eggs should be ok. Dad leaves them out for days before he hard-boils them. They peel easier that way.

I would throw out any raw meat kept in the fridge. Cooked meat might be ok. I've accidentally left my milk out all day, it was fine. Fruits and vegetables are less of a concern.

In general, the refrigerator only stays cold for a few hours. Once the temperature is much over 45 F or so, it isn't cold enough to keep bacteria from growing and spoiling the food.

The freezer can go much longer, especially if it was full.
 
Your power was out for Less than 2 days and you’re worried if the food is safe??

The margarine, butter and eggs are fine.

1st rule in a power outage - DO NOT open the fridge or freezer. Everything should be good for up to 3 days.

Smell the milk... If it doesn’t smell sour, have a sip. If it tastes OK, it’s fine.

We have power outages often. 18 hours is no big deal.
 
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