Wasn't there a thread on foods that can sit out at room temp for an extended period of time?

C

cynupstateny

Well-known member
My community has been devastated by the recent flood. On Sunday, someone turned the power back on at the church (with flood waters still in the basement) with the result being a fire that destroyed most of the church.

I'm looking for ideas for food for the great number of volunteers who need to be fed.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Cyn

 
Cyn, my sympathies! As I understand it, room temperature is the enemy of food safety, but

foods that are acidic (vinegary pickled things) or sweet (desserts) have built-in anti-bacterial stamina.

Could charcoal or butane grills be brought in? A hot dog is still one the world's greatest pleasures and a whole array of sausages could be included as well (brats, Polish, Italian...), and the condiments are vinegary-sweet, so don't present a risk.

Side dishes (potato salad, coleslaw, deviled eggs, Cesar Salad etc. could be kept on ice in portable coolers and served in smaller amounts that don't sit out more than an hour or two.

Big baguette sandwiches (heros, muffaletta, pain bagnat) can be kept cold in coolers and slice "to order"

I guess my answer to your original question is "No, don't leave food at room temperature this time of year," but if you treat it as a picnic or tailgate party there are all kinds of possibilities.

Good luck! What a tragedy.

 
HI Cyn - oooh, so sorry to hear that. We didn't lose power at all. Some ideas inside...

Joe's idea of cooking on the grill or camp stove seems about your only option for substantial meals I would think. Canned fruits and vegetables, and canned or dried soups come to mind at first... do they have a place to cook food?

I imagine the town would all have many grills or some type of outdoor cooking type of pit? Maybe even a park? Does Amsterdam have power and/or is there another church in your area who might be willing to help with feeding the crowd?

For snacks or lunches, non-perishable/vegetarian meals high in protein also might be an option - peanut butter, canned tuna, cheese, nuts, etc.

Keep us posted, ok? Our thoughts are with you.

http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/power_outage/power_outage.htm

 
Thanks- and thanks to all of you who pm'd me. It truly touches my heart to know that people I've

never met care so much.

Misunderstanding, Dawn, we DO have the power back. I was just looking for types of foods that can be left on the table for a while. Everyone eats at different times. Someone in a pm suggested a kiddie pool filled with ice. Then just lay the salads etc. in the pool. Sounds like a plan

Thanks for all of your ideas, Joe- good one on keeping a grill going and making muffalettas.

 
Thanks- and thanks to all of you who pm'd me. It truly touches my heart to know that people I've

never met care so much.

Misunderstanding, Dawn, we DO have the power back. I was just looking for types of foods that can be left on the table for a while. Everyone eats at different times. Someone in a pm suggested a kiddie pool filled with ice. Then just lay the salads etc. in the pool. Sounds like a plan

Thanks for all of your ideas, Joe- good one on keeping a grill going and making muffalettas.

 
Cyn, since you have power, here's an idea. The block party I attended on the 4th had a Chili

contest. Participants brought their chili in crock pots and a table was set up, with long cables running from someone's house and surge protectors used for multiple plug-ins. No circuit breakers were tripped, as far as I know.

 
Cyn, No ideas...BUT, so sorry to hear about your church! Very nice of you to help the workers..

 
Cyn, so sorry

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your church. Will be keeping you all in prayer.

Love and hugs
Cyndi

 
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