Healthy
Living -- pages 18 - 22
To your Health !
- Power Outages -
During the last few snowstorms Central Pennsylvanians experienced , many have had the added hassle of losing their electricity . While most of us have learned to stash flashlights or candles away to help us through the blackouts , a bigger concern is what to do about the food in our fridges and freezers . The general rule of thumb is if the power is out less than two hours and the refrigerator doors stay shut , the food inside should be safe . When in doubt , you should toss it out . However , there are more precise parameters for what you should do with perishables if the temperature goes above forty degrees and your electricity is out for more than two or three hours . It ' s recommended that you discard the following :
• Fresh or Leftover Meat • Fresh or Leftover Poultry • Fresh or Leftover Fish • Thawing Meat or Poultry Meat , Tuna , Shrimp , Tuna , or Egg Salad • Gravy , Stuffing • Lunch Meats , Hot Dogs , Sausage , Bacon Pizza • Canned Meats , opened • Low Fat Cheese • Shredded Cheese • Soft Cheese - Cottage , Meunster , Roquefort , Camembert , Mozzarella , Brie , Colby , Monterey Jack , Neufchatel , Ricotta , Blue • Milk , Cream , Buttermilk , Sour Cream , Evaporated Milk , Yogurt • Baby Formula , opened • Eggs , Egg Dishes , Egg Products • Custards and Puddings • Sauces , Spreads , Opened Creamy-Based Dressings , Opened Tomato Sauce • Refrigerated Rolls , Cookie Dough • Pasta • Pasta Salads with Mayonnaise Dressing • Cheese-filled Pastries • Custard or Cheese-filled Pies • Opened Jars of Mayonnaise • Cooked Vegetables Baked Potatoes • Pre-cut Packaged Vegetables • Potato Salad • Opened Vegetable Juice
As for food in the freezer , if it still contains ice crystals and feels as cold as if refrigerated , you can likely refreeze without any issues . Ice cream and frozen yogurt should always be disposed of , as well as any of the following food items if they have thawed or the temperature has been over forty degrees for more than two hours :
Meat • Poultry • Seafood • Casseroles • Stews • Soup • Eggs • Cheese Casseroles containing Eggs , Milk , Cream , or Cheese • Cakes , Pies , or Pastries with Custard , or Cheese Filling • Specialty Items , such as Pizza , Breakfast Sausage , Biscuits , Meat Pies , Convenience Foods
For further information and safety tips , log on to www . foodsafety . gov .
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