Cooking during a power outage!

[Auspicious (Dave Skolnick)]

@LindaWhit

Dave, you are trusting that most American consumers are willing and/or will remember to flip the eggs and/or dry the eggs when they first come out of refrigeration in the supermarket.

Two things - first, you are correct about Joe Schmoo. BUT in extremis just make a list of things to do and flip the d@m^ eggs. grin On delivery I write ‘odd’ on the top of the carton and ‘even’ on the bottom so anyone looking knows (based on the date) if it has been flipped.

Second, once the condensation issue is dealt with (see drying step in my post above) you’re only dealing with oxidation which leads to staleness which won’t get you sick. It’s like freezer burn (dehydration) - you may not like it but it isn’t bad for you.

So with long term power outages (I won’t tell you what I think of Gov Newsom) eggs are one less thing, and a volume intensive thing, to worry about keeping cold.

In the end, somewhere between 1/3 and 1/4 of what most Americans keep in their fridge really needs to be cooled for food safety. Note - no scientific basis for that fraction. It’s a guess based on looking in my fridge.

Whether you have produce in the fridge with power or on the counter (out of direct sun of course) you still need to be flexible and eat the things that are going to rot fastest first. “What’s for dinner.” “Dunno - got to look at what’s old.” grin

“Hmm. Something with tomatoes and avocado. How are we fixed for onions? Do we have any of those dried mushrooms from the Thai grocery? What’s on top of the freezer that we can grab fast so we don’t lose cold air?”

[shrinkrap]

As it happens, I keep lots of those freeze packs that come with shipped perishables in the freezer, and used some last night hoping to help in the fridge. Of course, I opened both to do it. Probably not enough volume to help.

[shrinkrap]

@NotJrvedivici

Just curious, now is your refrigerator off since midnight but your lights still on?

Everything was out from 12 MN until about 9 PM. People with in a mile on a different grid are still out, wind whipped up AFTER my electricity was back in, and I can see signs of what might be a pretty big fire.

[tomatotomato (Denise)]

Thank you for starting this thread, BTW. I plan to mine it for ideas to put to use this winter before the inevitable outages happen.

[ernie_in_berkeley]

A good thing to have is a portable power supply, sold as an automobile jumpstarter, but with a port for an inverter. They cost $80-110 at car parts stores (the higher priced ones have more peak power for bigger cars). An inverter is maybe $10. Mine will power an LED light or two for several evenings, and it didn’t lose much power at all during a daytime blackout when it ran my fiber modem/router.

[shrinkrap]

Ongoing thanks folks!

So now I’m throwing out stuff from the fridge; so far a few eggs (they were already 30 days past their CSA delivery date), cold cuts, opened store bought potato salad, and uncooked ground beef, etc.

I will review the USDA recommendations, but have my “yeah, buts”.

I’m planning to keep some cut up peppers I may use in jelly, some cut up home grown tomato, onion, and peppers prepped with a bit of salt for gazpacho, the shrub, a few bottles of hot sauce, dijon mustard, miso, butter, store bought ice tea, white grape juice for jelly I opened a few hours before power came on, preserved lemons…

But…what about homemade chicken and duck stock, weeks old opened butter milk, a 8 inch piece of roasted pork loin (that I wanted to cut up and cook in a curry, but is probably too lean for a stew), and two cups of cooked taco filling?

I’ve heard of folks keeping stock at room temp and boiling daily for awhile.

The taco filling seems the most risky, and im not that hurt about tossing it, but husband thinks its fine.

Is this mostly about e coli, maybe c. bot, and associated toxins? Is there a salmonella risk?

We are both physicians with decades of experience, but have different assements of risk and benefit when it comes to food. I “know” its not worth risking 72 hours of stomach upset or worse, for what he calls “mince”, but thought I’d ask for input about the risk when it comes to homemade stock!

Bending the rules on bacteria (New York Times)

[meatn3 (equal opportunity eater in the NC Triangle)]

Two tricks:
*Take a small lidded container (a to-go condiment size is good) and fill 3/4 with water. Place lid on it & freeze. Once frozen remove lid and place a penny on top of ice. After a power loss a look at the penny will show if the freezer contents defrosted.

*As soon as power is lost or seems like it might be lost, I put a battery operated thermometer probe in the fridge. The wire is long enough so the gauge sits on a nearby counter top. I keep a chart and check it frequently. The chart lets me know how long the contents have been at what temperature. Cold air drops so keep the most perishable items at the lowest point. Top shelves are fine for produce, sodas, breads, hard cheese, etc.

[meatn3 (equal opportunity eater in the NC Triangle)]

Was your stock strained of meat particles? Does it have a fat layer on top? How cool were things once the power came back on? If well strained with fat layer and felt cool then I would be comfortable using it if brought to and held at a boil for 10 minutes or so. I would boil it soon even if using it later.

[shrinkrap]

@meatn3

Was your stock strained of meat particles? Does it have a fat layer on top? How cool were things once the power came back on? If well

Yes, strained, yes fat cap. I believe I had scooped some geletanized stock out the day prior, and the scoop was no longer visible. It must have warmed enough to melt. This surprised me. The ice packs also melted. The “mince”/taco filling kept its shape.

[meatn3 (equal opportunity eater in the NC Triangle)]

Sometimes my gelatanized stock seems to “self-level” and scoops are filled in by the next day. The stock wouldn’t worry me. The mince/taco filling would.

[shrinkrap]

@meatn3

After a power loss a look at the penny will show if the freezer contents defrosted.

I had read that, but didn’t do it. How about the ice in the freezer keeping its shape? Might be a bit less in volume, but no frozen water as far as I can tell.

[LindaWhit]

@shrinkrap

But…what about homemade chicken and duck stock, weeks old opened butter milk, a 8 inch piece of roasted pork loin (that I wanted to cut up and cook in a curry, but is probably too lean for a stew), and two cups of cooked taco filling?

I’d personally toss it all.

[shrinkrap]

@shrinkrap

I’ve heard of folks keeping stock at room temp and boiling daily for awhile.

Master Stock.

Check your spelling before you Google. Don’t ask.

[meatn3 (equal opportunity eater in the NC Triangle)]

Ice cubes in a bag will tell the story. Your power was out less than 48 hours I think? If freezer hadn’t been open things should be fine. Always remember it takes a while to get it back to the proper temp once power is back!

[shrinkrap]

@meatn3

Your power was out less than 48 hours I think? I

Continued thanks! About 21 hours.

[shrinkrap]

Okay, thanks!

[Miss_belle]

Yes, stop looking for excuses to save everything that’s not worth saving.

[shrinkrap]

You had me until … duck stock… not worth saving.

[Miss_belle]

I have no idea whether it’s worth saving or not. I know people on CH kept a stock going daily. I’m not one of them.I do have to laugh though, You’re not giving up on that pepper jelly are you.

[shrinkrap]

@Miss_belle

You’re not giving up on that pepper jelly are you.

We’re talking about seed saving here!