In the Kitchen
Executive Chef
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2004
- Messages
- 2,862
Don't know if this is going to be annual routine or not for me but I was w/o electricity for 4+ days. Storms hit here last week and almost all of the area was w/o electric and w/o air conditioning. People around here all had their generators going constantly. Since we don't have one, I noticed the noise more. Guess I knew my food was in jeopardy as well as my nerves!!! What is so odd is that I went through this last year only I didn't get ice hoping the electric would be returned. They kept promising soon and didn't get to it until 5 days later even though there was live wire laying across the driveway. So when it happened this time I tried to get ice with the rest of everyone and experienced real panic. No matter the cost, we needed the ice. I knew the food was most important to me over the a/c.
I have two refrigerators and one deep freeze. I had to throw all the food out of the fridge. My question: if any of you have been w/o electric, how do you determine if it is still okay to prepare the food? Since I had 5 bags in the freezer it did stay cold. If I try to prepare it and it hasn't spoiled do you think I could tell when I fix it if it has certain odor? Everyone I talk to said to throw it out. You just cannot believe how this affects me. Trying to save when there is some kind of sale and 'putting' it away only to throw it out?
This is truly overwhelming for me as I know it is for others. Only the thought of Katrina puts my thoughts in perspective. 'could have been worse'. I may be confessing my weakness here but throwing food out is one thing I try to avoid daily. I do have insurance and I asked the agent if they would wonder if I were trying to get by with something since it happened again? Have to go through and itemize each thing and hope I do remember what I paid for it. Know this is more than average comment. Only hope this doesn't happen to any of you or me again. Thanks for your time.
I have two refrigerators and one deep freeze. I had to throw all the food out of the fridge. My question: if any of you have been w/o electric, how do you determine if it is still okay to prepare the food? Since I had 5 bags in the freezer it did stay cold. If I try to prepare it and it hasn't spoiled do you think I could tell when I fix it if it has certain odor? Everyone I talk to said to throw it out. You just cannot believe how this affects me. Trying to save when there is some kind of sale and 'putting' it away only to throw it out?
This is truly overwhelming for me as I know it is for others. Only the thought of Katrina puts my thoughts in perspective. 'could have been worse'. I may be confessing my weakness here but throwing food out is one thing I try to avoid daily. I do have insurance and I asked the agent if they would wonder if I were trying to get by with something since it happened again? Have to go through and itemize each thing and hope I do remember what I paid for it. Know this is more than average comment. Only hope this doesn't happen to any of you or me again. Thanks for your time.