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Step 1
Begin with food preservation. As soon as the power goes out, take a quick inventory of the food in your house, starting with your freezer and refrigerator. Write everything down, so you can create meal plans later. Keep the fridge and freezer closed as much as possible to preserve the cold. As your fridge warms up, you can put foods that can go bad the quickest, like mayonnaise, into the freezer to keep it longer.
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Step 2
Cook foods that are perishable first when you can. Raw meats from the refrigerator, and then the freezer should be cooked, and other perishable foods should be used before they have a chance to go bad. If you’re in doubt, throw away foods that may have been out of refrigeration too long.
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Step 3
Use grills outdoors when you’re cooking, especially gas grills. Even if it’s cold outside, don’t take any chances by cooking indoors.
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Step 4
Finally, prepare meals that don’t need to be cooked. Sandwiches, crackers and cheese, and even most canned foods don’t need to be cooked at all.
