For those in s. Calif that lost their power~~info re: Your food~~

[mybebe]

POWER OUTAGE! What food can I save?
When to save and when to throw away! Use this chart to see what should be thrown away and what can be kept.
Refrigerator Foods
Food held above
40°F for over 2 hours
Dairy, Eggs, Cheese Dairy, Eggs, Cheese
Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt Throw away
Butter, margarine Keep
Baby formula, opened Throw away
Fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products, custards, puddings Throw away
Hard cheeses: Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, parmesan, provolone, Romano Keep
Soft cheeses: blue/bleu, Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage, cream, Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta,
mozzarella, Muenster
Throw away
Processed cheeses Keep
Shredded cheeses, low-fat cheeses Throw away
Grated Parmesan, Romano, or combination (in can or jar) Keep
Fruits and Vegetables Fruits and Vegetables
Fresh fruits, cut Throw away
Fresh fruits; not cut, fruit juices; opened, canned fruits; opened, coconut, raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits,
dates
Keep
Vegetables; raw Keep
Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices Keep
Vegetables; cooked, vegetable juice; opened, greens; pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged Throw away
Baked potatoes, potato salad, commercial garlic in oil or butter Throw away
Meat, Poultry, Seafood Meat, Poultry, Seafood
Fresh or leftover meat, poultry, fish, or seafood, thawing meat or poultry Throw away
Lunchmeats, hotdogs, bacon, sausage, dried beef Throw away
Canned meats; opened Throw away
Canned hams (labeled “Keep Refrigerated”) Throw away
Mixed Dishes, Side Dishes Mixed Dishes, Side Dishes
Casseroles, soups, stews, pizza with any topping Throw away
Meat, tuna, shrimp, chicken, egg salad Throw away
Fresh pasta, cooked pasta, spaghetti, pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinegar base Throw away
Gravy, stuffing Throw away
Breads, Cakes, Cookie, Pastries, Pies Breads, Cakes, Cookie, Pastries, Pies
Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, Cream or cheese filled pastries and pies Keep
Breakfast foods—waffles, pancakes, bagels Keep
Refrigerator biscuits, rolls, cookie dough Throw away
Pastries; cream filled, Pies—custard, cheese filled, or chiffon, cheesecake Throw away
Pastries, pies; fruit filled Keep
Sauces, Spreads, Jams Sauces, Spreads, Jams
Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish Throw away if above
50°F for over 8 hours
Peanut butter, jelly, relish, taco, barbecue & soy sauce; mustard; catsup; olives, opened vinegar-based
dressings
Keep
Worcestershire sauce, fish sauces, oyster sauces, Hoisin sauces, opened spaghetti sauce; opened creamy
based dressings
Throw away
Frozen Foods
Still contains ice crystals, and feels as cold
as if refrigerated: food below 40°F
Food thawed, food held above 40°F
for over 2 Hours
Meat and Mixed Dishes
Beef, veal, lamb, pork, ground meats, poultry, ground
poultry
Refreeze Throw away
Variety meats (liver, kidney, heart, chitterlings) Refreeze Throw away
Casseroles, stews, soups Refreeze Throw away
Fish, shellfish, breaded seafood products Refreeze, may be some texture & flavor loss Throw away
Dairy, Eggs, Cheese
Milk Refreeze, may be lose some texture Throw away
Eggs (out of shell), egg products Refreeze Throw away
Ice cream, frozen yogurt Throw away Throw away
Cheese (soft and semi soft), cream cheese, ricotta Refreeze, may lose some texture Throw away
Hard cheese (cheddar, Swiss, parmesan) Refreeze Refreeze
Shredded cheeses Refreeze Throw away
Casseroles containing milk, cream, eggs, soft cheeses Refreeze Throw away
Cheesecake Refreeze Throw away
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruit Juices Refreeze
Refreeze, throw away if moldy, yeasty
smell or sliminess develops
Home or commercially packaged fruit Refreeze, will change texture & flavor
Refreeze, throw away if moldy, yeasty
smell or sliminess develops
Vegetable Juices Refreeze
Throw away after held above 40°F for
6 hrs.
Home or commercially packaged or blanched vegetables Refreeze, will change texture & flavor
Throw away after held above 40°F for
6 hrs.
Breads, Pastries, Baking Ingredients
Breads, rolls, muffins, cakes (without custard filling) Refreeze Refreeze
Pie crusts, commercial and homemade bread dough Refreeze, some loss of quality Refreeze, some loss of quality
Cakes, pies, pastries with custards or cheese filling Refreeze Throw away
Other Other Other
Casseroles—pasta, rice based Refreeze Throw away
Flour, cornmeal, nuts Refreeze Refreeze
Breakfast items—waffles, pancakes, bagels Refreeze Refreeze
Frozen meal, entrée, specialty items (pizza, sausage, and
biscuit, meat pie, convenience foods)
Refreeze Throw away

[Abbybob]

And remember to contact your insurance carrier!! I posted in another area about insurance coverage for lost food.

[CW&M Mom]

I asked my sister about it..she worked for an insurance company she said every company they write for will not cover loss of food unless the power has been out for 3 days. We don't live in California but people may want to look through there policy before filing claims.

Also freezer stuff...beyond ice cream...for less then a day...should be fine.

[joshmamabear]

and also for those with high deductibles, make an estimate cost of your food loss before filing a claim since the total value may be a lot lower than the deductible you have to pay.

[CW&M Mom]

and also for those with high deductibles, make an estimate cost of your food loss before filing a claim since the total value may be a lot lower than the deductible you have to pay.

Yup!

And if your insurance company see's you as someone who is sending in lots of frivolous claims (which this one can be considered one) they have every right to cancel your insurance when your policy is up.

We lost all of our food fridge and freezer after a tornado hit our neighborhood...(our house was fine) but I did not file a claim. I'm not going ti give our insurance company a reason to cancel us. I'll save them for the big stuff.

I know out here in Kansas...we have had a rash of hail damage disasters. Where thousands and thousands of roofs are having to be replaced. In our town over 4000 roofs just from my sisters company are having to be replaced. The insurance companies are considering putting in clauses now to exempt hail damage. So be careful.

[CSchunk]

A lot of that info seems too overcautious. Why would you throw out fresh eggs just because they were above 40 degrees for two hours?

[CW&M Mom]

A lot of that info seems too overcautious. Why would you throw out fresh eggs just because they were above 40 degrees for two hours?

I wouldn't.

Ironically the people out here that have there own chickens don't even refrigerate there eggs...

When we lose power...we don't open our fridge. That helps keep everything cold longer.

Now after about 24 hours after the tornado...basically everything got pitched in our fridge except ketchup, mustard, things that don't need refrigeration...and then we kept a cooler with ice trying to keep things like Jam, blocks of cheese ect. cold enough that I felt comfortable trying a little bit longer to keep them cold. We would buy a 1/2 gallon of milk a day and use the ice to keep it cold.

The hard part for us..is no one in Missouri has blocks of ice...and trying to keep things cold with regular ice is harder. Blocks of ice works better.