• Texas Appliance Repair

How to Keep Food Cold While Waiting for Refrigerator Repair in West Lake Hills, TX

There are many different things that can cause homeowners stress. When appliances are not working properly it is definitely stressful to deal with. Many times homeowners are not sure what to do when their appliances stop working. Here at Texas Appliance Repair Service we are frequently asked what our customers should do with their food if their refrigerator stops working. Today we are going to go over what you can do to make sure that your food does not spoil until your power comes back on or your fridge gets fixed.

How Long Does Food Last in the Fridge Without Power?

One of the first questions people have is how long their food will last if their refrigerator is not working. If you make sure that you do not open the door of your refrigerator door unless you have to your food will typically stay cool for four hours. You will want to tell your family not to open your refrigerator. Food in your freezer can last up to 24 hours or long with power if the freezer has not been opened. The more food that you have in your freezer the longer the freezer will be able to stay cool. Any perishable food that gets before 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours will need to be thrown away. Frozen foods are safe to refreeze if the internal temperature of the food is below 40 degrees or if the food still has ice crystals.

How to Keep Food Cold when Waiting for Refrigerator Repair

After you have told your family not to open the fridge, you will want to grab any coolers and ice that you have on hand. Load up your cooler with any ice and ice packs that you have. You will then want to take food from the fridge and transfer it to the coolers and pack it with ice. You will want to be as fast as you can transferring the food so that you can get that door closed as quickly as possible. Start with the food that your family is most likely to eat first. Lots of time there are plenty of items in your fridge that have been there for a long time. Anything that you cannot fit into the coolers you can leave in the fridge for now. Keep your eye on the clock! If your power has not turned back or a repair has not been made as that four hour mark approaches you will want to try and enjoy as much of the food out of your fridge as possible before you just have to throw it away.

What Food to Throw Out in Fridge Without Power?

If you do have to throw away your perishable food, how do you determine what is perishable? Perishable food is food that requires refrigeration or it will spoil. Milk, meat, and fish are just some examples of foods that are perishable. If you have leftovers in your fridge they are perishable as well. Sometimes we keep items in our refrigerator that do not actually need to be refrigerated. Fresh fruits and vegetables, hard cheeses, bread, and condiments are all examples of food that are frequently found in your fridge that do not need to be refrigerated. These items can be kept even after the four hour mark. If you are not sure if your food needs to be kept or thrown away you can use a food thermometer to test it. The temperature of the food needs to be less than 40 degrees to be considered safe.

Refrigerator Appliance Repair & More in CEDAR PARK, AUSTIN, ROUND ROCK, PLUGERVILLE, WEST LAKE HILLS, MANOR, SUNSET VALLEY, BEE CAVE, MANCHACA & GEORGETOWN, TEXAS

We hope that this information will make deciding what to do with your food a little bit easier if you find yourself in the unfortunate situation where your fridge is not working. If you need a repairman to come out and fix your fridge please give Texas Appliance Repair a call today!

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