Store It Foods

Should your freezer fail, disaster could loom as far as all of that frozen food is concerned. There are, however, some basic steps that could be taken to minimize that loss.

First of all, keep it shut for as long as you can.  Since cold air is heavier than warm air, this is perhaps not as important with a chest freezer as it would be with an upright freezer, but it is important.

If you are able to do so, supplement that lost freezing power with bags of ice.  That will delay thawing for at least a while.  In fact, some people, when the freezer is not full of food storage items, will make it a practice to fill empty space with old milk jugs or similar containers that are first filled with water which and then placed into the freezer and allowed to freeze.  Voila, your bags of ice are there in advance. Consider that a preventative in anticipation of possible power failure.  They, of course, can easily be discarded when that space is again needed for food.

Naturally, a full freezer does last longer than a nearly empty freezer.  The food itself helps to delay thawing.

Having said that, it should also be said that it might be wise to not tie up all of your food storage in frozen food.  Shelves full of canned good, both store purchased and canned at home, are not seriously affected by power failures.  If you wish to do so, and have the proper equipment, you can even can meat.

And don’t forget the food dehydrator.  There is another way to preserve and store food that is not so dependant upon your electrical supply for lasting storage.