Refrigerated Food and Power Outages: When to save lots of It and When to Throw It Out
As the USDA notes keep Food Safe During an Emergency, your refrigerator will keep food safe for up to 4 hours during an influence outage. Keep the door closed the maximum amount as possible. Discard refrigerated perishable food like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers after 4 hours without power.
After an influence outage never taste food to work out its safety. you’ll need to evaluate each item separately—use this chart as a guide. When unsure , Throw it Out!
Refrigerated or frozen foods might not be safe to eat after the loss of power. determine what you’ll do to stay food safe during an influence outage, and once you got to throw away food that would cause you to sick.
BEFORE:
- Keep appliance thermometers in your refrigerator and freezer. The refrigerator should be at 40°F or below. The freezer should be at 0°F or below.
Prepare for emergencies or natural disasters: - Freeze containers of water and gel packs to assist keep your food at 40°F or below.
Have a cooler and frozen gel packs handy just in case you’ve got to get rid of your food from the refrigerator to stay it cold.
Buy solid or block ice to stay your food cold within the refrigerator, if you think that the facility are going to be out for an extended time.
DURING:
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed.
- If the doors stay closed, food will stay safe for up to:
- 4 hours during a refrigerator.
- 48 hours during a full freezer; 24 hours during a half-full freezer.
- If the facility has been out for 4 hours, and a cooler and ice are available, put refrigerated perishable foods within the cooler. to stay them at 40°F or below, add ice or a chilly source like frozen gel packs.
Read more: What Food Is Highest in Magnesium
AFTER:
- Never taste food to work out if it’s safe to eat. When unsure , throw it out.
- Throw out perishable food in your refrigerator (meat, fish, cut fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk, and leftovers) after 4 hours without power or a chilly source like solid . Throw out any food with an unusual odor, color, or texture.
- Check temperatures of food kept in coolers or your refrigerator with another cold source. Throw out food above 40°
- If you’ve got an appliance thermometer in your freezer, check to ascertain if it’s still at 40 °F or below.
- You can safely refreeze or cook thawed frozen foods that also contains ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below.