Hi everyone! As we are preparing for Hurricane Sandy, PLEASE take precautions to stay as safe as possible. We need each other so remember to check in on your neighbors who may be vulnerable.
In addition, I wanted to make sure I shared my fridge and freezer food saving tips with you. As a prolific cook, I dread these potential power outages because I stock my fridge and freezer with so many ingredients that I fear will get wasted.
PLEASE share your tips in the comments section so we can all benefit. I will be adding to this list as I remember my tips but I want to get this out to you NOW!!!
You can also check out Alma Schneider’s page on facebook to see how all my friends are sending in photos and recipes on my wall of what they are preparing today!
Thanks!
1. Try to have a cooler ready, preferably with ice.
2. Place a gallon of milk in the freezer in order to keep the freezer cold AND to use as ice in your cooler once the power goes out and you need to use your cooler as a fridge. Also, you can then drink the milk when it defrosts!
3. My friend Greg gave me a GREAT tip! Take freezer Ziploc bags (the sturdy kinds), fill with water but not completely. Wedge the water filled bags in between all your frozen items to keep the freezer extra cold with the extra bags of ice. Once the freezer starts to warm up if you lose power, you can use the melted ice as water!
4. Make as many meals as possible to use up your fridge/freezer ingredients and store in a cooler. Keep to eat or share with neighbors in need.
5. Empty out your freezer of all odds and ends “in a pinch” foods you may have and cook them up! This provides a meal for now and empties out your freezer without wasting the food. You may be surprised at the random items you find and this can be really fun, like a tapas party (see photo above: 2 tofu corn dogs, 2 Trader Joe’s Chicken nuggets, sweet potato tator tots, 2 Black bean burgers, 2 vegetable samosas my friend made for my Mad Men party in March-YUM!!! and some Whole Foods french fries-my kids were in heaven with this meal. Of course I served it with some steamed broccoli).
6. For frozen and fridge foods/ingredients, give some to your community in need or your immediate neighbors if it is too late to walk or drive in the bad weather.
7. Freeze anything you can from your fridge that may go bad in the fridge but do not open your freezer! It can stay cold for 24 hours if you don’t open it.
8. Remove all that you can from the freezer that doesn’t REALLY need to be frozen like nuts and seeds, dried fruit, etc.
9. You may be able to make water for coffee if you have a gas stove but not if you can’t use your coffee beans!!! Grind them now in your electric grinder before the power goes out!!!
3 Responses
Melissa says:
Make smoothies with any frozen fruit (while the power is still on) or bake a berry crisp/crumble with frozen berries.
Thanks,Melissa!
Cynthia says:
Why freeze just water in those ziplocs? Thinking — coffee?
Thanks, Cynthia!
And Cynthia also says to freeze soup which will serve as ice and later…food!
Thanks, Cynthia!