Purchase a refrigerator/freezer thermometer and keep it in the freezer. If your freezer goes out for any reason and is off for some time, you can see how warm the freezer has become. Knowing the highest temperature that food has reached is the most important factor to determine whether or not the thawed food in your freezer is safe. Having a freezer thermometer also gives you more control over the quality of your frozen food. Keep the freezer temperature at 0 degrees F.

 It is best to plug your freezer into a dedicated outlet that is not connected to a circuit protected by a GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter) device. GFIs are easily tripped by power surges, shutting off power to your freezer.

If for any reason you anticipate an extended power failure (i.e., snow storm, construction in the area), reduce the freezer temperature to -10 or -20 degrees. The colder the food, the more time it takes to thaw.

If you plan to purchase a new freezer, investigate models that have an alarm. No matter why the freezer is off, the alarm will sound if the temperature rises significantly and you will be warned of the problem.  Check the freezer occasionally to be sure it works properly -- particularly if the freezer is not in an area that you walk by daily.

As soon as your freezer goes off, determine how long the problem will last. If it is a power failure, ask the power company how long the power will be off. If it is a mechanical failure, check the instruction booklet that came with your freezer to see if you can remedy the problem. If not, schedule a repair service.  Once you know when your freezer is expected to be operational again, assess whether you can leave food in the freezer or if you need to take additional steps to ensure that your food remains frozen.

If you leave the freezer door shut, these factors affect how long food will stay frozen: Food in a full freezer will stay frozen about two days. Food in a freezer that is only half full may stay frozen up to one day. Keeping containers of ice in a partially filled freezer helps keep other foods frozen longer. Also, while the freezer is operating, less energy is required to keep the ice frozen than to keep empty space or air at 0 degrees. A freezer full of meat will not warm up as fast as a freezer full of baked food. The colder the food, the longer it will stay frozen. Obviously, a well-insulated freezer will keep food frozen much longer than one with little insulation.  The larger the freezer, the longer the food will stay frozen, particularly if the freezer is full.

If food is safe to eat, it's safe to refreeze.  When you find that your freezer is off, check the temperature in two or three locations. Then take a look at the packages of food.  If foods still contain ice crystals and/or if the freezer is 40 degrees or less and has been at that temperature no longer than one to two days, then food that was safe when it was originally frozen should be safe now. It can be refrozen or cooked and eaten.

If food has been held at 40 degrees or less but kept at this temperature for some time, examine it more closely. If the color or odor of thawed beef, pork, lamb or poultry are poor or questionable, discard the meat away from possible human or animal consumption. If eaten, the food may give someone food poisoning.

Often you cannot tell by the odor whether vegetables, shellfish and cooked foods are spoiled. Bacteria multiply rapidly in these foods so don't eat or refreeze any that have thawed completely. If ice crystals remain in these foods, it's usually safe to refreeze them. However, the texture will be mushier, the nutritional value may be lower, and the flavor and color may not be top quality.  If the freezer is above 40 degrees and you know it has been at that temperature more than two hours, then the food probably is not safe. Fruits and bread products are exceptions. Fruits ferment when they start to spoil, but a little fermentation won't make fruits unsafe to eat. Fermentation will eventually spoil the flavor and odor of fruit. You can refreeze completely thawed fruits if they still taste and smell good. Or you can use them in cooking and baking or for making jams and jellies.

Breads will be staler, but they still may be acceptable. Toasting, steaming in the oven in aluminum foil, or microwaving in paper toweling or plastic wrap will help freshen them.

For best quality, refreeze food quickly. The faster food freezes, the smaller the ice crystals that form within the food. When food freezes slowly, larger ice crystals develop and pierce the cell walls within the food and cause the food to be mushier and to lose more flavor, nutrients and color.

If your freezer is full of thawed food, it will not refreeze quickly. Therefore, you will probably need to take the food to a locker plant to have it frozen quickly before moving it back to your home freezer. If a locker plant is unavailable, a neighbor may have space to refreeze a portion of your food.  A common myth is that food must be cooked before it is refrozen. Frozen food will be of higher quality longer if it is not cooked (except for blanching vegetables). Cooked food can become unsafe faster if it is mishandled during thawing and preparation.  (Source: Colorado State Extension Service)

Thought:  There is nothing like a long face to shorten one’s list of friends.