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The fridge-door decision
The power just went out. How long can you keep what’s in the fridge?
30 seconds · English
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Power just went out? Wait before you open that fridge. Note the time. Keep the fridge door closed.
A closed fridge keeps food cold for about four hours. An ice-filled cooler can keep food at 40°F or colder.
After four hours without power or backup cooling, discard meat, milk, and leftovers. Never taste food to check its safety. Save this for the next outage.
What could you eat tonight?
Leave the fridge closed and set out one meal from your shelf.
Try the five-minute pantry check Save the pantry worksheet (PDF)