Power still out from Hurricane Idalia? You can grill these frozen foods during a power outage

C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·6 min read

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Hurricane Idalia has passed, your power is still out, and you've got a lot of food in the freezer slowly warming up. What do you do?

Fire up the grill.

Cooking just needs heat. Your grill has plenty of that, and it's better to eat the food before you lose it. You could even get together with your power-free neighbors and share supplies for a communal meal.

Here's what you need to know.

How long does food last in a refrigerator or freezer when the power is out?

A refrigerator will keep food cold for four hours after the power goes out, according to FEMA, and a full freezer will hold its temperature for about 48 hours. Avoid opening the doors as much as possible to keep the cool air in.

"If you are in doubt, monitor temperatures with a thermometer and throw out food if the temperature is 40 degrees or higher," FEMA said on its site.

How do you safely thaw frozen food without power?

Food is safe indefinitely while frozen, but when it gets over 40 degrees, bacteria that may have been there before it was frozen can begin to multiply, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Even if the center of the package is still frozen, the outer layer of the food can be in the "danger zone" between 40 and 140 degrees where bacteria multiply the fastest.

The best way to thaw food is in the refrigerator, and in this situation adding frozen food to your cool-but-unpowered fridge might even help keep other things in there a bit cooler as long as it stays below 40.

You can thaw food in cold water but you have to keep an eye on it. Put it in a leak-proof package or plastic bag and submerge it in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes or so. Don't leave frozen food out on the counter to thaw.

Small packages of meat, poultry or seafood — about a pound — may thaw in an hour or less, according to the USDA. A 3-to 4-pound package may take 2 to 3 hours. For whole turkeys, estimate about 30 minutes per pound. Once the food is thawed, you must cook it immediately.

Or you can throw it on the grill while it's still frozen.

Can you grill frozen meat or poultry?

You can grill meat and chicken straight out of the freezer but it will take 50% longer. Better to let it thaw first.

"It's best to completely defrost meat and poultry before grilling so it cooks more evenly," the USDA says on its website. "However, uniformly thin meat, such as frozen hamburger patties, may be grilled frozen."

Be sure to use a food thermometer and check several places to make sure you reach safe temperatures and your meat gets done evenly.

Here are some tips for frozen grilling from AtGrillsCookware.com:

  • Avoid slow cooking. You don't want your food in the danger zone temperature for too long. Go with high heat for most frozen things.

  • Use indirect heat: Indirect heat lets moderate energy heat get to the center part of the meat better.

  • Keep checking temperatures: You don't want the outside layers too warm while the inside is still frozen. And you'll need to get internal temperatures to safely cooked levels.

But what can you grill? Practically everything.

Steaks, burgers

They're better thawed but you can throw 'em on frozen rock solid if you need to. Remember, they'll take 50% longer.

Kim Allison of ThermoBlog even says steaks cooked from frozen can be better, as long as they're nice and thick.

"Because the meat’s extremely low temperature requires such a great amount of thermal energy to begin cooking," Allison said, "overcooking the protein just below the surface is far less likely." Little-to-no gray band, more pink.

Use a two-zone fire. Give the steaks a quick sear on both sides on high heat (500-700 degrees), then move them to the indirect side (300-350 degrees) to cook the center.

For thinner steaks and burgers, thaw them first.

If you have vegetarian bean burgers, you can put them right on the grill without defrosting.

Keeping cool(er): How to keep cool in a Florida heat wave when the power goes out

Chicken

Yep, throw the bird on the fire. Again, monitoring the temperature is key to keep it safe. Virginia Boys Kitchens has tips:

  • Pat the chicken as dry as possible to avoid flare-ups.

  • Preheat the grill.

  • Use direct heat, with a temperature about 20% less than you'd usually use for chicken. Remember, cook it for 50% longer than you ordinarily would.

  • Make sure the internal temps reach 165 degrees.

  • If you plan to barbecue the chicken, add the sauce to one side after the chicken is almost cooked through, cook some more, then flip it and repeat.

Frozen shrimp

Frozen shrimp? Frozen shrimp.

With an indirect cooking temp of 350-450 degrees, you can skewer some frozen shrimp and drop them right on, according to this recipe from BBQRevolt.com. Cook them for 3 to 5 minutes on either side, with some extra time if you like them crispy.

If you prefer shelled shrimp, run cold water over them in a colander and keep turning them until they're thawed. Let them drain for five minutes and then skewer away or use a fine mesh grid.

Frozen pizza

It works. Just put aluminum foil over the top of the pizza to keep the heat in. According to Business Insider, "The crust gets a gorgeous char and the smoke infuses the pizza." If the pizza has ice forming on top, brush that off first to avoid pools of water on your cheese.

Garlic bread

Break it into slices and put it on a medium-hot grill. Turn them regularly so they won't burn. Bam!

Waffle fries, french fries

Let the bag defrost for an hour or so and then put them on the grill, or put them on the indirect side to defrost. Large fries can be placed straight on, smaller ones or shoestring fries will need a grill grid or basket. Keep turning them and moving them around to avoid burning. 4thegrill.com has a recipe that includes heating some butter and garlic in a pan next to them and tossing the cooked fries in for some extra flavor.

Frozen vegetables

TailgateMaster favors easy methods. Open the bag of frozen vegetables and dump it into a cooking pot or skillet, add a stick of butter, grill it over indirect heat for about five but no more than 10 minutes, season to taste. "Seriously," the recipe says. "Not everything in life is rocket surgery."

Clean out your freezer

You can grill just about everything. Here are some more suggestions from Business Insider.

  • Mozzarella sticks: Use a preheated metal plate on the grill, add frozen sticks, watch them carefully.

  • Potato skins: Let them thaw a bit and wrap them in aluminum foil.

  • Onion rings: Thaw them to room temperature and use a high heat on the grill.

  • Tator tots: Heat up some oil in a foil plate and put the tots in. Keep moving them.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Hurricane Idalia: How to cook frozen steaks, burgers right on the grill