In the recent days, many areas of Hanoi and other provinces have been experiencing frequent power outages. These power cuts are intended to reduce the load on the electricity sector and save energy in the face of general difficulties.
However, these power cuts inadvertently affect the lives of households to some extent. A range of electrical appliances in the house cannot be used to serve daily needs. These include lighting, fans, air conditioners, internet for work and entertainment, electric and induction cookers, and another important appliance in the kitchen, the refrigerator.
The refrigerator is a device that stores food in a low-temperature environment, helping them be preserved better and for longer. It includes fresh and processed food, fruits and vegetables, or various types of desserts, as well as nutritional supplements like milk, yogurt, and beverages.
The power outage disrupts the operation of refrigerators. If the power outage is brief, the quality of the food stored in the refrigerator will not be greatly affected. But if the power outage lasts a long time, the quality of the food will be greatly affected and may spoil due to not being cooled in a timely manner.
The refrigerator plays an important role in preserving family food (Illustration photo)
To address this issue, many users have come up with a method that is considered simple, easy to implement, and quite effective. That is to make larger-than-normal ice cubes and store them in the refrigerator as soon as possible. These special ice cubes will prove to be unexpectedly helpful during power outages.
A user named Nguyen An shared on his personal page specific steps as follows: First, prepare large plastic bottles to make ice cubes. They can be used water bottles or clean milk cartons. Next, the user pours water into the bottles/cartons, noting to only fill about 80% of the capacity to leave space for the water to expand. In addition, to make the ice last longer, Nguyen An also advises adding a little salt to the water.
After completing all the above steps, place the bottles/cartons in the freezer to make ice as usual. When the power goes out, these special, larger ice cubes can be used to partially preserve food by placing them next to the food or in the refrigerator’s cooling compartment.
Pour water into the plastic bottles, and add salt to make ice (Photo by @nguyenan_93)
When frozen, these ice cubes can be used in the cooling compartment during power outages (Photo by @nguyenan_93)
In the Facebook group “Yêu Bếp” with 2.4 million members, another user with the account name Phan Hong Son also shared a similar method of making ice, which helps save the refrigerator during power outages. This user’s post attracted nearly 4,000 likes and hundreds of comments from many other users.
According to those who have tried this method, it is both effective and convenient. User Le Nhat Anh commented, “Using the bottles like this is both effective and convenient. When needed, they can be taken out to let the ice melt into cold water for drinking.” “We still do this even when we don’t have a power outage. It’s mainly to stabilize the temperature in the refrigerator and reduce power consumption. We only realized its usefulness when we had a power outage,” another user named Vy Le added.
In addition to the above homemade ice tips, users can also buy dry ice or gel packs from outside for better results. However, the cost of buying these products will be higher than the cost of making homemade ice manually.
In addition to homemade ice in plastic bottles (left), users can also buy dry ice (right)
How to Improve Refrigerator Insulation?
In practice, the speed at which food inside the refrigerator deteriorates due to power outages, whether or not it continues to cool or stops, depends primarily on the insulation capabilities of the appliance. In terms of the principle of operation, refrigerators use dry water vapor to absorb heat, through four main steps: compression of gas at the compressor, condensation at the condenser, expansion, and finally evaporation at the evaporator, thus cooling the environment inside the refrigerator. After evaporation, the gas or refrigerant returns to the compressor and starts a new cycle.
According to Dr. Tamika Sims, a member of the International Food Information Council, the cooling compartment of an average refrigerator can maintain a safe maximum temperature for about 4 hours, with the refrigerator door always tightly closed. In addition, food in the freezer can be kept cold for a longer period, about 1 day if the freezer is full of ice.
Based on the above, to improve the insulation of the refrigerator, especially during power outages, it is best to minimize opening the refrigerator door. Make sure your refrigerator door is tightly closed so that the cold air does not escape, reducing the insulation and cooling performance of the appliance. Additionally, the additional ice tip, as many users have suggested, also yields certain results.
Limit opening the refrigerator door during power outages (Illustration photo)
Sriyanka Lahiri, a nutritionist and Associate Professor at the University of Florida, also advises against taking food out of the refrigerator during a power outage. Even without power supply, the temperature inside the refrigerator is significantly lower than the outside. Taking food outside can increase the likelihood of bacteria entering and growing under the sun or sunlight, making the food more likely to spoil.
Source: Trí Thức Trẻ
Do You Need to Refrigerate Your Lotions, Masks, Toners, and Cosmetics?
Are you wondering if you should store your lotions, masks, toners and cosmetics in the refrigerator? Read on to find out the answer.
10 Ideas to Ring in the Tet Holiday at Home
Are you excited to be spending the upcoming Tet holiday with family? With many people heading home for the holiday, let’s take a look at some tips to make the most of your trip home and make this holiday the best one yet!
More Useful Advice for Homemakers (Part 2)
Have you heard of the surprisingly easy tips to make cooking and household chores simpler? White radish eliminates the acrid taste of salted meat, adding alum to raw shrimp helps soften it, and adding cold water when frying eggs can make them crispy – these are just a few of the tricks to make your life easier.
Tips for Prolonging the Life of Refrigerator Labels
Are you looking for a way to keep your longan delicious and fresh for a long time? This article provides helpful advice for choosing high-quality longan and correctly storing it in the refrigerator for year-round enjoyment.
10 Easy Ways to Amaze Yourself in the Kitchen
Are you struggling with the pungent odor of onions and garlic in your kitchen? Do you find yourself dealing with boiled eggs or cracked shells and cooked or salty soup? Don’t worry, there are solutions to all of these problems. Read on to discover some helpful kitchen tips to get the job done.
