Ways to Stay Warm and Keep Food Cold During Winter Outages

With the seemingly unending winter storms continuing to pelt most of the nation, power outages are inevitable.

In fact, millions of Americans have already lost power this winter. Due to blizzards, heavy rainfall, and tornadoes. 

There is plenty of winter weather to come. And it’s certain to bring more outages. That makes figuring out how to keep yourself warm and your food cold is important.

That’s what I want to talk about today. There are a number of things you can do to make miserable winter weather bearable.

Break out the blankets: How to warm up

First, let’s take a look at ways to keep your home as warm as possible during a blackout. Some are pretty simple, while others you may not have considered before. 

• The single best thing you can do to keep warm in your home during an outage is to use a solar-powered generator. It will allow you to keep lights on and use helpful items like heated blankets.

• Keep your curtains open during the day if the sun is out. And keep them closed at night. You’ll get a greenhouse effect during the day, even if the air is cold outside. And at night you’ll keep some of that cold air from seeping in, especially if you have thick curtains. 

• Keep doors closed in rooms that are seldom or never used. That will help keep cold air from those rooms out of the rooms you use more often. And help keep whatever warm air you’ve got going in some rooms out of those unused rooms.

• As much as possible, get all of your household members to spend as much time as possible in one room. That will limit the number of rooms you need to heat through other means. And there’s definitely something to be said for body heat. 

• If you have a gas oven that is not dependent on electricity, cook meals each day. That will help spread some heat throughout your home. 

• If you have a fireplace, this could be a good time to use it. Some of the heat produced by the fire will escape through the flue, of course, but some will also move into the room where family members are gathered. Candles can also produce heat, but caution must be taken.

• The older your home is, the more likely there are some air leaks in your windows and frames. Applying tape or plastic can help keep that air outside where it belongs.

• Insulate water pipes to keep them from freezing and possibly bursting. Keep a slow but steady drip coming from each faucet in your home.

4 hours until your food’s at risk… 

And now it’s time to take a look at how to keep your food cold during a winter power outage. Not to mention certain medicines that need to stay cold. 

As a general rule, food in a refrigerator should be good for four hours after the power goes out. In a freezer, it should stay safe for 24 to 48 hours. 

But when an outage extends longer than those time periods, that spells trouble. You’re in danger of losing the food you need to feed yourself and your family. 

Fortunately, there are some tips and tricks to help you keep your food safe longer. They just might come in handy next time a power outage occurs in your neck of the woods.

Keep those doors closed

Here’s something to always remember. When the power goes out, there is a temptation to open the freezer and refrigerator periodically. 

Understandably, people want to check on the status of their food. But don’t do it. Every time those doors open, warm air gets in. That shortens the life of your food. 

Keep your freezer and refrigerator doors closed except for removing an item you want to cook or eat right away. Or quickly moving some items from the refrigerator to the freezer. 

The magic temperature is 45 degrees Fahrenheit. If you can keep your food at that temperature or lower, it should be safe to eat. Keeping the doors closed will help. 

Food safety tip: meat down, veggies up 

Whenever possible, keep your freezer and refrigerator full. Food will stay safe during a power outage in a full freezer longer than in a half-full freezer. Same with your refrigerator.

If your refrigerator or freezer is not full, at least group your foods together. Rather than having them spread out.

Because heat rises – even inside a refrigerator – the bottom portion of your refrigerator is colder than the top. 

So, keep meat and fish in the lower levels. Fruits and vegetables can be placed on the higher shelves. 

Stock the freezer with…water 

The more ice you have available, the better you can keep your food cold during a blackout. 

In addition to filling your ice trays regularly, place a couple of bags of ice in your kitchen or garage freezer. 

You could even freeze water in Tupperware containers. But don’t fill them, because water expands when it freezes. It might break those containers. 

When a blackout extends beyond several hours, you can put ice in coolers. Then move some food from your freezer and refrigerator to those coolers.

And if it’s colder outside than inside, you might want to set those coolers outside your door. 

Thermometer beats a taste test

Earlier I mentioned you don’t want your refrigerated food to get above 45 degrees. The best way to ensure that is by keeping a thermometer inside your refrigerator and freezer. 

These thermometers are inexpensive. They are a big help in determining whether food has gone bad during and following an outage. Newer refrigerators have displays on the outside of the door to let you know your freezer and fridge temps. 

If you don’t have a thermometer, don’t make the mistake of testing your food by tasting it. You’re better off throwing something out than getting sick from eating it. 

Refrigerated perishable food will go bad after four hours. Including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, and leftovers. When in doubt, toss it out. 

FREE Freedom Fridge? Yes! 

So, if your power is out and you’re approaching the time when food could start to go bad, what do you do? The answer is the solar-powered and portable Freedom Fridge from 4Patriots. And for a limited time, you can get one for FREE. 

When you claim a Patriot Power Generator 1800, you’ll score a FREE Freedom Fridge on us. It weighs only 17 pounds and it can keep your food cool or warm!

You can run this food locker for up to 30,000 hours over its lifetime. And while it’s perfect for an emergency situation, you can also take it with you for RV trips, camping, or even the grandkids’ soccer games.

You probably already know all about the Patriot Power Generator 1800, but just in case, here’s a quick reminder. This generator, charges up for free in the sun or with an electrical outlet, is fume-free and silent. So, it’s safe to use indoors. And you can plug your Freedom Fridge right into your generator to charge up too!

And to top it all off, you’ll get 2 FREE solar panels to charge your generator and Freedom Fridge. Plus, free shipping and handling.

Hurry, this deal is only available until midnight 2/1. 

Here’s how to get yours…