When Your Freezer Stops Working
If you know in advance that your power will be cut
off, set your freezer for -10 to -20 degrees F, so it can
get as cold as possible before the power is turned off.
1. Keep the freezer closed. Opening the door will hasten
the thawing of foods inside.
2. Cover the freezer with blankets or quilts for
insulation to help hold the cold inside. For more
insulation, put crumpled newspaper between the freezer
cabinet and blankets. Pin the blankets away from the air
vent. The air vent must be kept open since air is needed
when the freezer comes back on.
If the power does not resume within one to two days,
or if A mechanical problem hasn't been found, use dry ice
to keep the freezer temperatures below freezing and to
prevent deterioration or spoilage of frozen foods. Dry
ice may be hard to locate on short notice. Locating where
dry ice can be purchased and how much may save time and
aggravation.
-- 25 pounds of dry ice in a 10 cubic foot freezer.
-- Use 50 pounds of dry ice in a 20 cubic foot freezer.
Make sure dry ice is used in a well ventilated room.
Dry ice melts to form Carbon Dioxide gas. If Carbon
Dioxide gas replaces too much of the oxygen in the air
it is dangerous to your health. Always wear gloves when
handling dry ice to prevent burns. Wrap the dry ice in
newspaper and place it on boards or heavy cardboard on
top of the packages. Do not open the freezer again unless
necessary. Dry ice should hold the freezer temperature
below freezing for two to three days in a half-full
freezer and three to four days in a loaded freezer.
How long food will stay frozen depends on four factors:
1. The amount of food in the freezer. A fully loaded
freezer will stay cold longer than one that is partially
full.
2. The type of frozen food. A freezer full of meats will
stay frozen longer than one packed with fruits,vegetables
or baked goods.
3. The temperature of the food. The colder you run your
freezer, the colder the food; the colder the food, the
longer it will stay frozen.
4. The insulating ability of the freezer. A well-
insulated freezer will keep food frozen longer than one
with little insulation.
Use your senses to determine whether a food can
safely be refrozen. Examine the food closely. Are the
contents:
--thawed and at room temperature? Throw them out!
--thawed but at refrigerator temperature?
--partially frozen?
--frozen solid?.
Does the food have:
--an off odor?
--a color change?
--apparent mold or bacteria growing on the surface?
The general rule of thumb is if a food is safe to
eat, it is safe to refreeze. Foods which are still
partially frozen or have thawed but are still cold to the
touch (40 degrees or lower) can safely be refrozen.
Eating quality may be slightly affected. Mark those
packages which have thawed and been refrozen, and use
them as soon as possible.
If you have a great deal of food to refreeze, have a
commercial food locker plant freeze it. This method will
ensure that foods are refrozen quickly and solidly for
minimal loss of quality.
To refreeze small amounts of food at home, set the
freezer temperature control to its coldest setting. This
temperature will refreeze thawed foods quickly and
prevent quality loss. Arrange foods so that cold air can
circulate freely around them. When all foods are solidly
frozen, return the temperature setting to normal. Use
refrozen foods as soon as possible.
Examine the meat carefully. Color changes or off-
odors may mean spoilage. Refreeze only packages that
still contain ice crystals or are cold to the touch.
Repackage meats in moisture-vapor proof wrap before
refreezing. Discard any meat that is at room temperature.
Ground meats are particularly susceptible to spoilage due
to the large amount of surface area. Immediately refreeze
only those packages that are still solidly frozen. If
packages are thawed but still cold to the touch,
immediately cook the meat or cook and refreeze. Discard
ground meat that is thawed to room temperature. Discard
ground meat (frozen or thawed) that shows signs of
spoilage (such as off colors or bad odors).
Safely refreeze cured meats that are still cold to
the touch (40 degrees or less). Discard any packages that
shows spoilage. To be safely refrozen, poultry must be
partially frozen and still contain ice crystals. If
poultry is thawed but still cold to the touch, cook and
consume immediately, or cook and refreeze.
Repackage poultry in moisture-vapor proof wrap before
refreezing. Do not remove original wrapping first. This
will prevent contaminating other foods with poultry
juices. Discard poultry that is thawed to room
temperature. If thawed poultry drippings have
contaminated other foods, handle these foods as you would
thawed poultry.
Do not refreeze fish unless it is still solidly
frozen. If thawed fish is still cold to the touch (40
degrees or less) cook and consume immediately. Discard
fish that has thawed to room temperature.
Refreeze thawed fruits that smell and taste good.
Thawed fruits may be used in cooking or making jams,
jellies, and preserves.
Refreeze vegetables that contain ice crystals. If
completely thawed but in good condition, cook vegetables
and consume or cook and refreeze.
Do not refreeze thawed baked goods, since the quality
of the product will be poor. If the product is only
partially thawed and still contains ice crystals, it may
safely be refrozen even though the quality may suffer.
Store thawed baked goods in the refrigerator to keep
them fresh until they are consumed. Use within a few
days.
Refreeze frozen prepared food only if ice crystals
are still present. If foods are completely thawed but 40
degrees or less, cook and consume immediately. Discard
prepared foods that are in poor condition.
Juices, shake the can, if the contents are totally
thawed, reconstitute the juice and use. If the juice pulp
is still frozen, refreeze.
Do not refreeze thawed ice cream.
Do not refreeze thawed cheese since the eating
quality will be poor. Refrigerate the cheese and use as
soon as possible.