Preparing food during a power outage

Cooking and eating habits will change during a power failure. You may have no heat, no refrigeration and limited water. Health risks from contaminated or spoiled foods may increase. Remember that those who have gas ranges or ovens cooking may still be possible but refrigerated and frozen foods may not be safe to use.

You can store all canned foods for up to one year without loss of quality. Freeze-dried and dehydrated items, if kept dry, can be stored indefinitely. In addition to food, stock at least 10 gallons of drinking water.

When the power is out there are some alternative ways to prepare food. Consider the amount of time that the food needs to cook. If you have limited heat for cooking choose foods that cook quickly. Prepare casseroles and one-dish meals or serve foods that do not have to be cooked.

Many foods can be skewered and roasted over the flames in a fireplace. You can wrap food in foil and place it in the hot coals, cook on a wire grill over the flames or cook in heavy cookware, such as cast iron or heavy aluminum. A Dutch oven is probably the best piece of cookware because you can use it to bake, boil, stew, or fry food.

You can cook on outdoor grills, fuel burning camp stoves, or charcoal burners. But use them outside, never indoors. Do not use them in a garage. Fumes from these stoves can be deadly. Do not cook frozen foods unless you have enough heat for cooking. Some frozen foods require much more cooking time and heat than canned goods. Also, if the power if off, it is best to leave the freezer door closed to keep food from thawing. You can eat commercially canned foods straight from the can without heating. Even if it doesn‚t taste as good as it would if it was hot, it will still be safe to eat cool.

Remember, it is never a good idea to taste food to determine if it‚s safe to eat. When in Doubt, Throw it out! For more information about food safety during a power outage or to schedule a program locally about financial management, nutrition, health & wellness, parenting education, OHCE contact Janis Risley, at the OSU Cooperative Extension Service in Sequoyah County by phone at 918-775-4838 or e-mail at janis.risley@okstate.edu.