With the recent weather-related power outages, freezer failure can mean the loss of all or part of a large investment in food, time and money. The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences offers some tips to minimize food loss:
- Keep the freezer door closed. In a well-filled freezer, food will probably remain frozen for about two days if the door is kept closed.
- Use dry ice in the freezer to keep your food frozen. A 50-pound cake of dry ice is enough to protect solidly frozen food in a full 20-cubic-foot freezer for three to four days. A 25-pound cake should hold the temperature of a half-full, 10-cubic foot freezer below freezing for two to three days.
- During the seasons when power failures are frequent or if you know the power will be off, it is good insurance to run the freezer between -10°F and -20°F. The colder the food, the more slowly it thaws.
- If the freezer does stop, the following foods may be refrozen if the freezer temperature stayed 40°F or below and there’s no sign of spoilage: meat, poultry, creamed food, puddings and cream pies. Vegetables, shellfish and cooked food can be refrozen if ice crystals are still present. If the freezer temperature rose above 40°F, discard these foods.
- Thawed fruits can refreeze if there’s no sign of spoilage. Breads, nuts, doughnuts, cookies and cakes can be refrozen if there’s no mold growth.