POSTED: 7:01 a.m. EST December 6, 2002 UPDATED: 7:57 a.m. EST December 6, 2002

After a power failure, you might not have heat, refrigeration, or water. To prepare food when you have no power, follow these guidelines:

If you have limited heat for cooking, choose foods that cook quickly. Prepare casseroles and one-dish meals, or serve no-cook foods.

If you cannot use your stove, you can use a:

* Fireplace

* Candle warmer, such as a fondue pot. Do not use a candle warmer to cook raw meats, fish, poultry, and eggs.

* Camp stove and charcoal burner. Never use a fuel-burning camp stove or charcoal burner inside your home, even in a fireplace. Fumes from these stoves can be deadly.

* Do not cook frozen foods because they require much more cooking time and heat than canned goods.

* Eat commercially canned foods straight from the can. Do not eat home canned meats and vegetables unless you can boil them for 10 minutes before eating.

* Substitute liquids from canned vegetables for water in unsweetened cooked dishes.

* Substitute juice from canned fruits for water in salads and beverages.

* All water from questionable sources that will be used in food preparation must be boiled for at least 10 minutes before use.

* If you are without refrigeration, open only enough cans or jars of food for one meal. Leftover food in jars and cans cannot be saved.

* If necessary, substitute canned and powdered milk for fresh milk.

* Prepare and eat foods in their original containers, if possible.

With the door closed, food in most freezers will stay below 40 degree F for up to 3 days. Thawing rate depends on:

* The amount of food in the freezer

* The kind of food

* The temperature of the food

* The freezer

* The size of freezer

You may safely re-freeze foods that still contain ice crystals or that have been kept at 40 degree F or below.

-- Anonymous, December 06, 2002