Keeping Food Safe, Cooking During Power Outage
Follow the chart from the USDA to determine if your food will be safe, plus tips on cooking without power.
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Pdfs
Well, your power is out. Or at least, it was out at some point on Friday and Saturday because of the violent storms.
What do you do with food in the refrigerator and freezer when your power goes out?
The United States Department of Agriculture says to keep meat, poultry, fish and eggs refrigerated at or below 40 degrees. Frozen food should be stored at or below zero degrees.
Check out the attached PDF for information on cooking without power.
The USDA advises to "keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature."
"The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about four hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. Obtain dry or block ice to keep your refrigerator as cold as possible if the power is going to be out for a prolonged period of time," said the USDA's guide for keeping food safe during an emergency. "Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic foot full freezer for 2 days."
The USDA recommends using frozen gel packs and coolers to keep food cold if the power will be out for more than four hours. "When your freezer is not full, keep items close together—this helps the food stay cold longer," said the USDA.
Never try to taste food to determine if it is safe or not.
"If an appliance thermometer was kept in the freezer, read the temperature when the power comes back on. If the appliance thermometer stored in the freezer reads 40 °F or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen," said the USDA. "If a thermometer has not been kept in the freezer, check each package of food to determine the safety. Remember you can’t rely on appearance or odor. If the food still contains ice crystals or is 40 °F or below, it is safe to refreeze. Refrigerated food should be safe as long as power is out no more than 4 hours. Keep the door closed as much as possible. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers) that have been above 40 °F for 2 hours."
"Be sure to discard any items in either the freezer or the refrigerator that have come into contact with raw meat juices," said the USDA. "Partial thawing and refreezing may reduce the quality of some food, but the food will remain safe to eat."
Here's USDA's chart for when refrigerated or frozen foods should be thrown out:
| Refrigerator Foods |
| When to Save and When to Throw It Out | |
|---|---|
| FOOD | Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours |
| MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD Raw or leftover cooked meat, poultry, fish, or seafood; soy meat substitutes |
Discard |
| Thawing meat or poultry | Discard |
| Meat, tuna, shrimp,chicken, or egg salad | Discard |
| Gravy, stuffing, broth | Discard |
| Lunchmeats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, dried beef | Discard |
| Pizza – with any topping | Discard |
| Canned hams labeled "Keep Refrigerated" | Discard |
| Canned meats and fish, opened | Discard |
| CHEESE Soft Cheeses: blue/bleu, Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage, cream, Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, queso blanco, queso fresco |
Discard |
| Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, provolone, Romano | Safe |
| Processed Cheeses | Safe |
| Shredded Cheeses | Discard |
| Low-fat Cheeses | Discard |
| Grated Parmesan, Romano, or combination (in can or jar) | Safe |
| DAIRY Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt, eggnog, soy milk |
Discard |
| Butter, margarine | Safe |
| Baby formula, opened | Discard |
| EGGS Fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products |
Discard |
| Custards and puddings | Discard |
| CASSEROLES, SOUPS, STEWS | Discard |
| FRUITS Fresh fruits, cut |
Discard |
| Fruit juices, opened | Safe |
| Canned fruits, opened | Safe |
| Fresh fruits, coconut, raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits, dates | Safe |
| SAUCES, SPREADS, JAMS Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish |
Discard if above 50 °F for over 8 hrs. |
| Peanut butter | Safe |
| Jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, catsup, olives, pickles | Safe |
| Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, Hoisin sauces | Safe |
| Fish sauces (oyster sauce) | Discard |
| Opened vinegar-based dressings | Safe |
| Opened creamy-based dressings | Discard |
| Spaghetti sauce, opened jar | Discard |
| BREAD, CAKES, COOKIES,PASTA, GRAINS Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas |
Safe |
| Refrigerator biscuits,rolls, cookie dough | Discard |
| Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes | Discard |
| Pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinaigrette | Discard |
| Fresh pasta | Discard |
| Cheesecake | Discard |
| Breakfast foods –waffles, pancakes, bagels | Safe |
| PIES, PASTRY Pastries, cream filled |
Discard |
| Pies – custard,cheese filled, or chiffon; quiche | Discard |
| Pies, fruit | Safe |
| VEGETABLES Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices |
Safe |
| Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged | Discard |
| Vegetables, raw | Safe |
| Vegetables, cooked; tofu | Discard |
| Vegetable juice, opened | Discard |
| Baked potatoes | Discard |
| Commercial garlic in oil | Discard |
| Potato Salad | Discard |
| Frozen Food |
| When to Save and When To Throw It Out | ||
|---|---|---|
| FOOD | Still contains ice crystals and feels as cold as if refrigerated | Thawed. Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours |
| MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD Beef, veal, lamb, pork, and ground meats |
Refreeze |
Discard |
| Poultry and ground poultry | Refreeze | Discard |
| Variety meats (liver, kidney, heart, chitterlings) | Refreeze | Discard |
| Casseroles, stews, soups | Refreeze | Discard |
| Fish, shellfish, breaded seafood products | Refreeze. However, there will be some texture and flavor loss. | Discard |
| DAIRY Milk |
Refreeze. May lose some texture. |
Discard |
| Eggs (out of shell) and egg products | Refreeze | Discard |
| Ice cream, frozen yogurt | Discard | Discard |
| Cheese (soft and semi-soft) | Refreeze. May lose some texture. | Discard |
| Hard cheeses | Refreeze | Refreeze |
| Shredded cheeses | Refreeze | Discard |
| Casseroles containing milk, cream, eggs, soft cheeses | Refreeze | Discard |
| Cheesecake | Refreeze | Discard |
| FRUITS Juices |
Refreeze |
Refreeze. Discard if mold, yeasty smell, or sliminess develops. |
| Home or commercially packaged | Refreeze. Will change texture and flavor. | Refreeze. Discard if mold, yeasty smell, or sliminess develops. |
| VEGETABLES Juices |
Refreeze |
Discard after held above 40 °F for 6 hours. |
| Home or commercially packaged or blanched | Refreeze. May suffer texture and flavor loss. | Discard after held above 40 °F for 6 hours. |
| BREADS, PASTRIES Breads, rolls, muffins, cakes (without custard fillings) |
Refreeze |
Refreeze |
| Cakes, pies, pastries with custard or cheese filling | Refreeze | Discard |
| Pie crusts, commercial and homemade bread dough | Refreeze. Some quality loss may occur. | Refreeze. Quality loss is considerable. |
| OTHER Casseroles – pasta, rice based |
Refreeze | Discard |
| Flour, cornmeal, nuts | Refreeze | Refreeze |
| Breakfast items –waffles, pancakes, bagels | Refreeze | Refreeze |
| Frozen meal, entree, specialty items (pizza, sausage and biscuit, meat pie,convenience foods) | Refreeze | Discard |
Polly Evans
7:06 pm on Saturday, June 30, 2012
How is one supposed to tell when the temperature in the refridgerator rises above 40 degrees without continually opening the door to check the thermometer which defeats the purpose of keeping the door closed? Only when the temp reaches 40 degrees can one start counting the hours it stays above 40 degrees to reach the 2 hour safe limit. Refridgerators should have an alarm to signal when the temp. goes above 40. Would be nice. Any ideas?
carroll davis
3:29 pm on Monday, July 2, 2012
I agree, Polly. That would be wonderful, especially for folks like me who lose power every time it looks like there will be a storm. I found a refrigerator alarm on Amazon.com for $15.50. Read the reviews before making a determination. http://www.amazon.com/Temperature-Alert-Alarm-Freezer-Refrigerators/dp/B0016LFWFK
Nott tellin you
10:33 am on Thursday, August 30, 2012
Ok people..common sense here; You don't open the fridge unless needed. then when power comes back on, that's when you determine the keep-or-throw factor. ie: power back on..go check for ice crystals etc. you should know about how long the power was off for, ergo, you should be able to determine whether something is safe or not. ALSO: When in doubt...throw it out.
If you have renters insurance or homeowners insurance they most often will cover the cost of food that has spoiled due to power outages that are caused by an act of nature. Call them and ask!