4 Easy No-Cook Recipes for a Power Outage

Many of us who have ever lost power for extended amounts of time know that coming up with a plan for dinner can get pretty tricky.  According to the USDA food can stay safe in your fridge for up to 4 hours if it is kept closed, and it will stay safe for up to 48 hours in an unopened full freezer.  (If the freezer is only halfway full, the food will only last 24 hours).

That leaves us with either not touching the refrigerator, or hurrying to eat everything in the fridge before it gets spoiled if a long outage is expected.  Then, whether or not you can access your refrigerator food still leaves you with the question of how to prepare anything.

Before you panic, don’t worry.  We’ve got you covered with some meal ideas that don’t require refrigeration or an oven.  Bonus:  it’s not just PB&J.

4 Easy No-Cook Recipes for a Power Outage

1. Make your own hummus

Hummus you buy at the grocery store needs to be refrigerated, but you can easily whip up some of your own just by using cans of chickpeas and a fork.  Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice or garlic if you have it on hand.

2. Tuna salads galore

Canned tuna becomes quite the superhero during a power outage.  You can mix it up with any unopened mayonnaise you have in your pantry, or try mixing with avocado.  Yellow mustard doesn’t need to be refrigerated, which make it another option for mixing with the canned tuna.

3. Overnight oats

Oats that soak overnight have become very popular in the blogosphere and on Pinterest.  This nutritious no-cook breakfast is perfect for a morning without power.  Simply follow a traditional overnight oats recipe, but use water instead of a milk base so the oats won’t spoil.  Add fruits, nuts, or nut butters in the morning!

4. Bean salads

Open a few varieties of canned beans, chop up a few vegetables, and drizzle with olive, vinegar and spices…voila!  Click here for a simple bean salad recipe. Consumer Reports states that fresh foods such as tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, apples, carrots, and celery can last without refrigeration for a few days, so these are all game to add to your salad!  Tasty and protein packed–bean salads are great recipes for a power outage!

Once the power comes back on, please note,the USDA recommends never tasting food in order to test its safety.  You can check out their full list on food safety here.

One of the best ways to ensure that your food remains safe and that meal times will be easy is by investing in an automatic generator.  For more information about these generators that turn on as soon as the power goes out, contact us at FLAME Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, and Electrical.