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Is the food in the refrigerator and freezer safe after a power outage?
Use these charts from FoodSafety.gov as a guide to determine what to keep and what to throw out.
Type of Food - Held above 40 °F for more than 2 hours
Meat, poultry, seafood
Raw or leftover cooked meat, poultry, fish, or seafood; soy meat substitutes - Discard
Thawing meat or poultry - Discard
Salads: 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
Casseroles, soups, stews - 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 - Keep
Processed cheeses - Keep
Shredded cheeses - Discard
Low-fat cheeses - Discard
Grated Parmesan, Romano, or combination (in can or jar) - Keep
Dairy
Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt, eggnog, soy milk - Discard
Butter, margarine - Keep
Baby formula, opened - Discard
Eggs
Fresh shell eggs, eggs hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products - Discard
Custards and puddings, quiche - Discard
Fruits
Fresh fruits, cut - Discard
Fresh fruits, uncut - Keep
Fruit juices, opened - Keep
Canned fruits, opened - Keep
Dried fruits, raisins, candied fruits, dates - Keep
Sliced or shredded coconut - Discard
Sauces, Spreads, Jams
Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish - Discard (if above 50 °F for more than 8 hrs)
Peanut butter - Keep
Jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, catsup, olives, pickles - Keep
Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, hoisin sauces - Keep
Fish sauces, oyster sauce - Discard
Opened vinegar-based dressings - Keep
Opened creamy-based dressings - Discard
Spaghetti sauce, opened - Discard
Bread, cakes, cookies, pasta, grains
Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas - Keep
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 - Keep
Pies and pastry
Cream filled pastries - Discard
Pies: Any with filling containing eggs or milk, e.g., custard, cheese-filled, or chiffon; quiche. - Discard
Fruit pies - Keep
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables, cut - Discard
Fresh vegetables, uncut - Keep
Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices - Keep
Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged - Discard
Vegetables, cooked - Discard
Tofu, cooked - Discard
Vegetable juice, opened - Discard
Baked potatoes - Discard
Commercial garlic in oil - Discard
Potato salad - Discard
Casseroles, soups, stews - Discard
Type of food - Contains ice crystals and feels cold as if refrigerated - Thawed and held above 40°F for more than 2 hours
Meat, poultry, seafood
Meat, poultry, seafood – all types of cuts - Refreeze - Discard
Stews, soups - Refreeze - Discard
Dairy
Milk - Refreeze (some loss of texture) - Discard
Eggs (out of shell) and egg products - Refreeze - Discard
Ice cream, frozen yogurt - Discard - Discard
Cheese (soft and semi-soft) - Refreeze (some loss of texture) - Discard
Hard cheeses - Refreeze - Refreeze
Shredded 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 and 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 Foods
Casseroles: pasta, rice-based - Refreeze - Discard
Flour, cornmeal, nuts - Refreeze - Refreeze
Breakfast items: waffles, pancakes, bagels - Refreeze - Refreeze
Frozen meal, entree, specialty item (pizza, sausage and biscuit, meat pie, convenience foods) - Refreeze - Discard
Source: Food Safety