Here’s What to Do With Food in the Fridge After a Power Outage

When the power has been out for hours, here's what to toss and keep.

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It’s a nightmare scenario: A hurricane hits (or another natural disaster happens) and now you're dealing with a power outage. The power went out for 6 hours and your refrigerator is full of food. Welp, gotta dump everything in the trash, right? Not so fast. We have trusted food safety tips so you know what you can keep, what food should be safe to eat, and what you definitely need to ditch from your fridge and freezer.

If the doors stay closed, the CDC says the food in the fridge will be okay to eat for up to four hours. Try to open the refrigerator as little as possible. This will keep the temperature inside colder for longer. If you don’t have one, now is the time to buy an appliance thermometer to make sure your refrigerator is at a safe temperature (ideally before you experience a power outage); between 35 and 38°F is optimal. Even the best refrigerator models could use a second opinion.

If the power is out beyond four hours, you can still eat the food in the fridge for up to another two hours — provided the internal refrigerator temp is in the safe zone (35 to 38°F). After that, you risk getting sick. Ask yourself, “If I brought this food to a BBQ and it sat out all day, would I still eat it?” If you’re still unsure, scroll down for our handy guide on what to toss vs. what to keep.

Is there a food that didn’t make our list? Do not attempt your own taste test — when in doubt, throw it out! No food is worth salvaging for a bout of food poisoning.

During a power outage, frozen food will last longer than refrigerated foods. Count on up to 48 hours for a full freezer and 24 hours for one that’s half-full, provided you keep the door closed. Just like bodies preserving warmth when they huddle up, frozen foods grouped together will help maintain the ideal temperature — for freezers, that’s 0°F. If frozen food has thawed slightly, it is safe to refreeze, according to the USDA. That said, the quality of the food will diminish.

Susan (she/her) is the recipe editor at Good Housekeeping, where she pitches ideas, parses words, and produces food content. In the Test Kitchen, she cooks (and samples!) recipes, working with developers to deliver the best written versions possible. A graduate of Brown University and a collaborator on several cookbooks, her previous experience includes stints at Food & Wine, Food Network, three meal kit companies, a wine shop in Brooklyn and Chez Panisse, the pioneering restaurant in Berkeley, California. She enjoys playing tennis, natural wines and reality competition shows.

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