Sorry Sue & All... I was off the computer for most of yesterday, after the very early part of the day. so missed all the Trivvie messages. Ontario has had it's fair share of Electricity losses and the message is food is usually safe up to 2days if the freezer is full and not opened. Below is a URL I found, but just in case it won't open here's one little section The full article is full of good bits to copy and paste to print out and save. Marlene ABCD’s of Keeping Food Safe in an Emergency ``````````````````````````````````````````` Always keep meat, poultry, fish, and eggs refrigerated at or below 40 ºF and frozen food at or below 0 ºF. This may be difficult when the power is out. Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. Obtain dry or block ice to keep your refrigerator as cold as possible if the power is going to be out for a prolonged period of time. Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic foot full freezer for 2 days. Plan ahead and know where dry ice and block ice can be purchased. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/keeping_food_Safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp ___________________________________________________________ Now you can scan emails quickly with a reading pane. Get the new Yahoo! Mail. http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html

Thanks to everyone who responded ... I've decided to throw out the ice-creams and ice lollies - and also the frozen cooked food - but will keep the rest - and try and use it all up in the next 2-4 weeks - descending in order of 'thickness' of the packaging - starting with the thinnest .. :-)) Shop bought frozen food isn't nearly as frozen as the food in my freezer - and the unfortunate thing was - we had only just stocked up (a few hours before the power outage) - so this food won't be as 'solid' as the other, older, frozen stuff ... One thing - I'm not sure I'd've wanted to have trusted any of this food if the lecky had been off for 24 hours - let alone 48 ... Urghh ... Maybe US / Canadian freezers are built differently - maybe they have more insulation around them ... Thanks again ... Sue Sorry Sue & All... I was off the computer for most of yesterday, after the very early part of the day. so missed all the Trivvie messages. Ontario has had it's fair share of Electricity losses and the message is food is usually safe up to 2days if the freezer is full and not opened. Below is a URL I found, but just in case it won't open here's one little section The full article is full of good bits to copy and paste to print out and save. Marlene ABCD’s of Keeping Food Safe in an Emergency ``````````````````````````````````````````` Always keep meat, poultry, fish, and eggs refrigerated at or below 40 ºF and frozen food at or below 0 ºF. This may be difficult when the power is out. Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. Obtain dry or block ice to keep your refrigerator as cold as possible if the power is going to be out for a prolonged period of time. Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic foot full freezer for 2 days. Plan ahead and know where dry ice and block ice can be Purchased. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/keeping_food_Safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp

This was something I meant to send to the list at least 2 or 3 years ago. Have you ever like I have wondered if your fridge and freezer would be OK whilst you were away, I have and thought this hint was great BUT of course I have always forgot to put it into action. You simply put a few ice cubes into a small bag or sealed container, and check on it when you come back from holiday .. it will tell you if the freezer has been off for long enough to check your other freezer stuff [and the fridge if it is a part of the appliance] ... because the ice cubes would melt and then refreeze as either a blob of distorted cubes or a solid block if it had been for a longish period. Marlene ... a sufferer of a freezer problem a week ago [over 40hours with a slighty open freezer door ] ___________________________________________________________ Inbox full of spam? Get leading spam protection and 1GB storage with All New Yahoo! Mail. http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html