Don’t let your refrigerator become a food tomb in your absence. Whether you're at home or are away when the electricity goes out while you're away, it's always important to prepare ahead of time. Here’s how to avoid the unpleasant effects of a power outage while you’re away!

Set Up an Ice Cube Watchdog
There’s a simple way to see if your freezer was off in your absence. Fill a cup with ice cubes and leave it in your freezer. As long as your ice cubes look like separate ice cubes, your freezer stayed below freezing. But if you open the freezer one day and find a cup of frozen water—the food shouldn’t be considered safe for human consumption.

Keep It Full
I keep lots of ice in my freezer, a bit of ice cream or some other frozen treats, and not much else. In an outage, I can use the ice to keep the fridge food cold for an extra day and when the ice has melted—use it for drinking water. It’s great to have extra food, but you’ll be better off canning or drying your meat and other foods rather than taking the risk of losing them in the freezer.

Consider a Generator
If you already have a freezer full of meat, and aren’t interested in canning it all, then make plans to keep the freezer running with a generator. I’m usually opposed to generators. The noise, the dangerous fumes, the fire hazard, and the potentially limited fuel supply have turned me away from the standard gas powered generator, but it does still have its uses.

Have you gone through these steps to ensure that your freezer is safe? For more information on how to prepare your freezer and fridge in the event of a power outage, check out Outdoor Life Survival! Do you have any other tips you would recommend? Share below!

Featured Image via Sara/Flickr