OSU Extension on sifting through a refrigerator after an outage.
In the event of a power outage, OSU Extension Educator Lisa Barlage urges residents to keep from opening their freezer and refrigerator doors as much as possible.
Then, once power is restored, the frozen meats should be checked: "If it is still cold, you can refreeze, (but) it needs to have some ice crystals in it; if it has started to thaw, one thing people can do is go ahead and cook it," said Barlage.
She said butter and margarine do not spoil, and hard cheeses and vinegar-based dressings are safe to keep as well.
"Vinegar is a preservative, so pickles and things like that you can keep," said Barlage.
She recommends keeping a thermometer on hand to monitor the refrigerator temperature as items need to be kept at under 40 degrees. Barlage said ice can be placed in to help keep refrigerator cool.
