My motto used to be “If it didn’t get done in the microwave, it didn’t get done.” I’ve since learned to use my electric oven and its four-burner cooktop. But …
Foodie Corner – 2015 – Post #6 – Broken Refrigerators
What do you do when you have no refrigerator or freezer?
My two cents, but please share yours:
Recently, our refrigerator-freezer unit was broken for a week. Parts had to be ordered and arrive.
We started by stocking up on canned soups, fruit cups, and bottles of water, anything that could live in the pantry. However, we soon rediscovered these convenient foods were loaded with sodium, sugar, and carbohydrates.
If your city or region suffered a long-term power outage, would you use canned food? Or do you have a healthier plan?
Cuss? Actually, we’ve never lost ours except from power outages. Most of the time these are just a few hours and don’t really hurt the food, but we have had a couple that lasted long enough to ruin things.
By: David N. Walker on May 20, 2015
at 10:42 pm
You’re very fortunate, David. Cheers, Ashley
By: A. C. Cockerill on May 22, 2015
at 6:55 pm
Yes, I would (and have) used canned food. If it looks like a long spell, first one eats up all the frozen stuff before it goes off, and then with luck one can buy ice to fill a cooler and keep some things chilled. If there is no ice, then SOL. Must make do with canned and dried. 🙂
It is quite possible to buy canned meat, fish, fruit, and vegs. I keep a good supply on hand for we lose power every year. When one gets into pre-made food mixtures (soups, pasta dishes, desserts, sauces) that the salt, sugars, and carbs really show up.
The bad scene is losing power *and* water.
Sometimes the thought of a small “extra” fridge is very appealing.
By: embee on May 20, 2015
at 11:04 pm
Hi Aunt Mary, Good to know that canned meats and vegetables are better than canned soups and fruit cups. I’ll remember that for next time. With an aging fridge, there will be a next time. 🙂 Cheers, Ashley
By: A. C. Cockerill on May 22, 2015
at 7:00 pm
Scary thought! We do have lots of canned food, and I’m conscious about checking labels…for the most part.
By: cjburright on May 20, 2015
at 11:49 pm
Sounds like you’re well-prepared, CJ. That is always a good thing. Cheers, Ashley
By: A. C. Cockerill on May 22, 2015
at 7:02 pm
Living on a mountain, in a forest, on the fault line for a long overdue earthquake, we fantasize about surviving for a period of weeks or months. We stock canned and bulk dried goods (and lots of coffee beans!). We’d eat first from the fridge, then from the freezer and smoke any meat we could before it goes bad. We collect rain water already for gardening and heat with wood. We’re good…I think.
By: D. Wallace Peach on May 21, 2015
at 3:16 pm
Sounds like you’re an expert, too, D. Wallace. And the coffee beans are especially important. 🙂 Cheers, Ashley
By: A. C. Cockerill on May 22, 2015
at 7:05 pm
I do a lot of fresh so I would be ok peanut butter is major around here.
By: dogdaz on May 21, 2015
at 3:22 pm
Hi Lorian, I’ve found that peanut butter is also good for insomnia. A teaspoon or two just before bedtime and I sleep through the night. Of course, it might just be all in my head, but it works. Cheers, Ashley
By: A. C. Cockerill on May 22, 2015
at 7:11 pm
Wow! I am going to try that. I love peanut butter.
By: dogdaz on May 22, 2015
at 10:57 pm
Hope this goofy remedy works wonderfully well for you, too, Lorian. Cheers, Ashley
By: A. C. Cockerill on May 26, 2015
at 7:16 pm
Boy, if there is a long-term power outage, eating canned foods will probably be the least of my worries. Still, the question is a valid one–those victory gardens in WWII came in handy. So did Mason jars. There must have been a bazillion of those in my elderly relative’s basement when she died.
By: Angelyn on June 8, 2015
at 8:55 pm
Hope you kept those bazillion jars, Angelyn! Now that’s finding a treasure. Cheers, Ashley
By: A. C. Cockerill on June 8, 2015
at 9:06 pm