The minute I hear a ‘watch’ is up for our area, these are the first precautions I undertake:

• Inventory the freezer and refrigerator;
• Reorganize the freezer and refrigerator – if the power goes out certain foods can be quickly accessed;
• Begin organizing condiments and designating coolers that can be used: dairy, meats, produce, snacks, etc.;
• Buy triple the amount of ziplock freezer bags and sandwich sized plastic baggies. Freeze butter and cut into cubes and place in baggies in the dairy cooler, if the power goes out;
• Plan out the first 4 days of meals. They should be able to be reheated on a grill. (Buying a plastic French Press for coffee and a cast iron griddle pan can do wonders on a grill.);
• Paper products- biodegradable are best but in this pandemic without a dishwasher best not to cross contaminate;
• Stock up on ice — if you have extra room in the freezer;
• Purchase smaller plastic containers of almond milk or other nut milk; 
• Also, hard salamis and hard cheeses last much longer;
• Store eggs in a plastic container – label and date.
• Anything that comes in cardboard will fall apart so think plastic mason jars.

When the storm becomes a Warning!

Consider:

Get emergency kits ready;

A blender that works off your car charger for smoothies’;

Make sure everything is labeled and dated. 3- day rule for meats, prepared foods once open and homemade foods.

If possible, pack a set of cast iron pans.

Clean the grill and have extra propane.

And, check with neighbors – especially the elderly – include everyone in meal delivery. (Neighbors may even have extra freezer storage space.) Collaboration and community are vital at times like these.

And remember… 

Plan to eat main meals at lunchtime.

Involve children in the process. (Let them make the snack bags.) 

Think healthy – stock up on masks, gloves, antiseptics…and follow guidelines.

Top items to make:

French toast or waffles (reheat in pan on grill)

Mini quiche and frittatas

Flat breads for individual grilled pizzas

Pasta, cook up two different types

Chicken parmesan with pasta one night and

Chicken parm hoagies & pasta salad the next night

Morning Glory or bran raisin muffins for extra fiber

Smoothies – either bottled or prepare and place in plastic mason jars with lids.

Flour tortillas for sandwiches and quesadillas on the grill

Fresh fruit and some produce 

Everyone wears gloves so make sure you have plenty.

@chefjudigallagher

Coming from the North, when I first moved to Southwest Florida, I had New England Snow Storm preparedness on my mind. That means stocking up on at least 2 gallons of milk, lots of meats, chickens and baking products, so if you were snow bound for a few days, you cooked stews, bolognaise sauces and baked chocolate cakes and cookies and the family ate like royalty. Of course, if the power went out- we stuck everything in the snow pile just outside the back door.  Well, welcome to hurricane season in Florida, where the first thing to go out is your cable TV, closely followed by all power. With temperatures that range in the 90’s in the summer with even higher heat indexes, Sun coast residents need to be prepared.

First- do not keep your freezer more than half full during hurricane season. Have a plan for what is in there incase of electricity outage for more than 24hours. Our plan is pretty simple- we stock easy to grill items such as chicken breasts, Italian sausage and roast beef (perfect for grilling with olive oil, rosemary and garlic salt.)

Once the power goes out, you must limit opening the refrigerator of freezer so- if a storm is predicted buy jumbo bags of ice and fill coolers.

Buy separate coolers for dairy which needs more ice, produce and prepared foods. Use zip lock bags and jumbo plastic air tight containers as ice melts pretty quickly and will water down the cooler contents. To hold ice longer- sprinkle salt onto ice to hold the cold temperature longer.

If you don’t have a side burner on your gas grill, (and of course have an extra tank filled as a back up) purchase a portable burner at a restaurant supply store with a large pack of propane cans

Arrange with neighbors and friends ahead of time about community meals, that way you will all use up your perishables and rotate who does the cooking so no one runs out of propane.

Don’t waste your propane by boiling water unless it is for washing dishes. Pasta can wait until the power is back on.

Potatoes sliced thin, seasoned and layered with sliced onions and oil wrapped in foil and cooked on a grill taste delicious and is filling. Best of all, they do not need refrigeration.

As for the ice cream bars in the freezer- eat them all the first night- even if the power comes back on within hours you can always the extra calories blame it on the storm.