Lose Power in a Storm? Keep Your Food Safe
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Power outages often accompany big storms. While Hurricane Sandy might not knock out your electricity this time, it’s good to know the basics of food safety related to your refrigerator and freezer. If you don’t already have a refrigerator thermometer, run – don’t walk – to get one at any store selling kitchen gadgets (including most supermarkets). This is a key step to following my four-hour/40 degree food safety rule. All food in your refrigerator is safe to eat after a power outage, if the temperature remains below 40 degrees . An ideal range for food safety is 36–38 degrees. At 40 degrees or higher, bacteria start to multiply quickly and can easily cause food-borne illness. If you have a thermometer , your food might be good for much longer than four hours (that’s with the door closed!). If you don’t have a thermometer , stick with the four-hour rule and toss most foods from your refrigerator. Don’t use the taste or smell test to determine food ...