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06Food Reserves
Day Two With No Power: What in the Fridge Has to Go
The 4-hour fridge rule, the 48-hour full freezer, and the 40-degree line. What to keep, what to toss, and how to make your cold food last longer in an outage.
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- 2 min
- Updated
- October 5, 2026
The power's been off since yesterday. The fridge is quiet. What's still safe to eat?
Here's what U.S. food safety guidance says, in plain words.
01The basic numbers
- Refrigerator: keeps food safe for about 4 hours if you keep the door closed.
- Full freezer: about 48 hours with the door closed.
- Half-full freezer: about 24 hours.
- The line: perishable food that's been above 40°F for more than 2 hours should go.
A cheap appliance thermometer in the fridge and freezer tells you where you stand. Put them in now, before the outage.
02Usually toss after 4+ hours above 40°F
- Meat, poultry, fish, deli meat, leftovers
- Milk, cream, yogurt, soft cheese
- Eggs and egg dishes
- Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes
- Cut fruit and cut veggies
- Opened baby formula
- Creamy dressings and dips
03Usually OK
- Hard cheeses
- Butter and margarine
- Whole fruits and vegetables
- Peanut butter, jelly, ketchup, mustard, pickles
- Bread and baked goods without cream fillings
04Freezer food
If it still has ice crystals or is 40°F or below, you can usually refreeze it. The texture may suffer.
05Making it last longer
- Keep the doors shut. Decide what you want first, grab it fast.
- A full freezer stays cold longer. Fill empty space with jugs of water now. They become ice blocks in an outage. See water storage: how much and how to rotate.
- Coolers and ice as a bridge. Move the most important things (milk, meds, meat for tomorrow) to a cooler.
- Snow or cold weather can help in a Midwest winter outage, but direct sun and animals are a problem, and outdoor temps swing. A cooler in a cold garage is better than food in a snowbank.
- A generator or battery station can run the fridge a few hours at a time.
06When in doubt
Throw it out. Never taste food to see if it's safe. Some of the bacteria that make you sick don't change the smell or taste.
Insulin and other cold medicines have their own rules. Ask your pharmacist before an outage.
Photo by Couleur on Pixabay.
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