The power’s out, and the first thing on your mind is everything in the fridge and freezer. Here’s how long your food stays safe, and how to tell what to keep and what to throw out once the lights come back on.

Keep the Doors Closed

This matters more than anything else. Every time you open the door, cold air escapes. Kept closed, a refrigerator keeps food safe for about 4 hours. A full freezer holds its temperature for about 48 hours, and a half-full freezer for about 24 hours.

The Number That Matters: 40°F

Perishable food that has been above 40°F for more than 2 hours should be thrown out. That includes:

• Meat, poultry, and seafood
• Milk, soft cheeses, and yogurt
• Eggs
• Cooked leftovers
• Deli meats and cut fruit

Hard cheeses, butter, whole raw fruits and vegetables, and condiments like ketchup and mustard generally hold up better. When you’re unsure about something, throw it out.

Never Taste to Test

Food can look and smell fine and still make you sick. Taste and smell won’t tell you whether it’s safe. Time and temperature will.

What About the Freezer?

If frozen food still has ice crystals, or has stayed at 40°F or below, it’s safe to refreeze. It may lose some quality, but it won’t hurt you.

Be Ready Next Time

• Keep an appliance thermometer in both the fridge and the freezer, so you know the real temperature instead of guessing.
• Keep a few containers of frozen water in the freezer. They fill empty space, help it stay cold longer, and give you cold drinking water.
• Keep a cooler and some ice packs on hand for moving food out of the fridge if an outage drags on.

My guide walks you through preparing for a power outage, step by step.

Get the full guide: How to Prepare for a Power Outage by Hank Palmer, on Amazon