Oh, really?
I have a new Kitchenaid French Double Freezer which went on the blink last week during our killer heat wave. I came home and almost everything in the freezer defrosted ... all of the premium gelatos but, importantly, the thick cut bacon was saved.
Whew!
One needs electricity.
Several years ago, we had the same experience (power outage -- spoiled food). Since then, I've kept a few plastic jugs of salt-water ice in the freezer. When the power goes out for a few hours (a fairly frequent event, thanks to squirrels in summer, and ice in winter); the salt-water ice melts first, and saves the food from thawing even a bit. This simple expedient works for at least half a day.
If you try this, it's important to use salt water, not fresh. That's because salt water melts (goes through phase change) at a much lower temperature than fresh water. Because of the "latent heat of melting (or freezing)" the sacrificial salty ice can save a lot of expensive groceries.
