Refrigerating Food and Refrigerator Care

• When refrigerating pre-packaged raw meat, poultry, or fish, don’t remove it from its original packing.  Food scientist Susan Brewer, Ph.D., explains why:  “In the U.S., most meat in the retail case is packaged in ‘modified atmosphere packaging,’ which is high in carbon dioxide.  The purpose of the CO2 is to suppress microbial growth.  If you unwrap the meat, you lose this protection.  In addition, every time you handle the meat, it becomes contaminated by the air, hand, and contact surfaces. Leave it in its original packaging (unless you are breaking it down to freeze it, in which case, microorganisms won’t grow).“

Brutal rainstorms, flooding, hurricanes, and snowstorms can all leave you with no electricity and a fridge and freezer full of food.  All those “f”s and no electricity may cause you to think of another word beginning with “f,” but swearing won’t help.  Instead, go to the link below for advice on what to do in  either of these situations:

1) when you have some warning beforehand that a natural disaster is coming, and

2) when you don’t. 

These trustworthy tips from the USDA will help you salvage some of your perishable edibles and make the  natural disaster a bit less of a financial disaster for your food budget.