Power's back \u2014 what's still safe?
USDA's rules come down to hours, door discipline, and how full the freezer was. Answer three questions for the call.
Rules: USDA FSIS \u2014 4 hours refrigerator, 24/48 hours half/full freezer.
Browse all answers
Each row shows one complete set of answers and its recommendation, using the same rules as this tool.
| How long was the power out? | Was the door opened during the outage? | What are you checking? | Recommendation and explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 4 hours | Kept closed | Refrigerator food | Refrigerator food is safe USDA: an unopened refrigerator keeps food safe for about 4 hours. Move perishables to ice if the outage continues. |
| Under 4 hours | Kept closed | Freezer — was full | Freezer food is safe A full freezer holds safe temperature about 48 hours unopened. Food with ice crystals — or at 40°F or below — can even be refrozen (quality may dip, safety holds). |
| Under 4 hours | Kept closed | Freezer — half full | Freezer food is safe A half-full freezer holds safe temperature about 24 hours unopened. Food with ice crystals — or at 40°F or below — can even be refrozen (quality may dip, safety holds). |
| Under 4 hours | Opened a few times | Refrigerator food | Toss the perishables Past 4 hours above 40°F (sooner with the door opened), USDA says discard meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, and leftovers. When in doubt, throw it out — taste and smell do not detect the bacteria that matter. |
| Under 4 hours | Opened a few times | Freezer — was full | Freezer food is safe A full freezer holds safe temperature about 48 hours unopened. Food with ice crystals — or at 40°F or below — can even be refrozen (quality may dip, safety holds). |
| Under 4 hours | Opened a few times | Freezer — half full | Freezer food is safe A half-full freezer holds safe temperature about 24 hours unopened. Food with ice crystals — or at 40°F or below — can even be refrozen (quality may dip, safety holds). |
| 4–24 hours | Kept closed | Refrigerator food | Toss the perishables Past 4 hours above 40°F (sooner with the door opened), USDA says discard meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, and leftovers. When in doubt, throw it out — taste and smell do not detect the bacteria that matter. |
| 4–24 hours | Kept closed | Freezer — was full | Freezer food is safe A full freezer holds safe temperature about 48 hours unopened. Food with ice crystals — or at 40°F or below — can even be refrozen (quality may dip, safety holds). |
| 4–24 hours | Kept closed | Freezer — half full | Freezer food is safe A half-full freezer holds safe temperature about 24 hours unopened. Food with ice crystals — or at 40°F or below — can even be refrozen (quality may dip, safety holds). |
| 4–24 hours | Opened a few times | Refrigerator food | Toss the perishables Past 4 hours above 40°F (sooner with the door opened), USDA says discard meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, and leftovers. When in doubt, throw it out — taste and smell do not detect the bacteria that matter. |
| 4–24 hours | Opened a few times | Freezer — was full | Freezer food is safe A full freezer holds safe temperature about 48 hours unopened. Food with ice crystals — or at 40°F or below — can even be refrozen (quality may dip, safety holds). |
| 4–24 hours | Opened a few times | Freezer — half full | Check item by item Past the 24-hour window, go by state: anything still holding ice crystals or reading 40°F or below is safe to refreeze or cook; anything fully thawed and warmer than 40°F for over 2 hours goes. |
| 24–48 hours | Kept closed | Refrigerator food | Toss the perishables Past 4 hours above 40°F (sooner with the door opened), USDA says discard meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, and leftovers. When in doubt, throw it out — taste and smell do not detect the bacteria that matter. |
| 24–48 hours | Kept closed | Freezer — was full | Freezer food is safe A full freezer holds safe temperature about 48 hours unopened. Food with ice crystals — or at 40°F or below — can even be refrozen (quality may dip, safety holds). |
| 24–48 hours | Kept closed | Freezer — half full | Check item by item Past the 24-hour window, go by state: anything still holding ice crystals or reading 40°F or below is safe to refreeze or cook; anything fully thawed and warmer than 40°F for over 2 hours goes. |
| 24–48 hours | Opened a few times | Refrigerator food | Toss the perishables Past 4 hours above 40°F (sooner with the door opened), USDA says discard meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, and leftovers. When in doubt, throw it out — taste and smell do not detect the bacteria that matter. |
| 24–48 hours | Opened a few times | Freezer — was full | Check item by item Past the 48-hour window, go by state: anything still holding ice crystals or reading 40°F or below is safe to refreeze or cook; anything fully thawed and warmer than 40°F for over 2 hours goes. |
| 24–48 hours | Opened a few times | Freezer — half full | Check item by item Past the 24-hour window, go by state: anything still holding ice crystals or reading 40°F or below is safe to refreeze or cook; anything fully thawed and warmer than 40°F for over 2 hours goes. |
| Over 48 hours | Kept closed | Refrigerator food | Toss the perishables Past 4 hours above 40°F (sooner with the door opened), USDA says discard meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, and leftovers. When in doubt, throw it out — taste and smell do not detect the bacteria that matter. |
| Over 48 hours | Kept closed | Freezer — was full | Check item by item Past the 48-hour window, go by state: anything still holding ice crystals or reading 40°F or below is safe to refreeze or cook; anything fully thawed and warmer than 40°F for over 2 hours goes. |
| Over 48 hours | Kept closed | Freezer — half full | Check item by item Past the 24-hour window, go by state: anything still holding ice crystals or reading 40°F or below is safe to refreeze or cook; anything fully thawed and warmer than 40°F for over 2 hours goes. |
| Over 48 hours | Opened a few times | Refrigerator food | Toss the perishables Past 4 hours above 40°F (sooner with the door opened), USDA says discard meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, and leftovers. When in doubt, throw it out — taste and smell do not detect the bacteria that matter. |
| Over 48 hours | Opened a few times | Freezer — was full | Check item by item Past the 48-hour window, go by state: anything still holding ice crystals or reading 40°F or below is safe to refreeze or cook; anything fully thawed and warmer than 40°F for over 2 hours goes. |
| Over 48 hours | Opened a few times | Freezer — half full | Check item by item Past the 24-hour window, go by state: anything still holding ice crystals or reading 40°F or below is safe to refreeze or cook; anything fully thawed and warmer than 40°F for over 2 hours goes. |
USDA's three rules
Per USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, three rules govern food safety during a power outage. Memorize them.
- 01
Keep doors closed
A closed refrigerator stays safe for ~4 hours. Each opening costs roughly 30 minutes of safe time. A closed full freezer stays safe ~48 hours; half-full, ~24 hours.
- 02
40°F is the danger line
Once perishables sit above 40°F for more than 2 hours, USDA says discard them. This applies to meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, and leftovers — not to condiments, hard cheese, or whole produce.
- 03
Verify, don't taste
Use an appliance thermometer to confirm temps. Bacterial pathogens don't change taste or smell — tasting is not a safety check, ever.
What to do with fridge contents
Group your fridge into three categories — discard, check, keep — based on USDA guidance.
| Category | Verdict | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Raw meat, poultry, seafood | Discard after 2 hrs above 40°F | Ground beef, chicken, fish fillets |
| Cooked meat & leftovers | Discard after 2 hrs above 40°F | Casseroles, soups, cooked pasta |
| Dairy (soft) | Discard after 2 hrs above 40°F | Milk, cream, yogurt, soft cheese |
| Eggs & egg dishes | Discard after 2 hrs above 40°F | Fresh eggs, quiche, custards |
| Hard cheese | Keep — generally safe | Cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan |
| Butter & margarine | Keep — generally safe | Stick butter, soft margarine |
| Whole produce | Keep — generally safe | Apples, oranges, whole carrots |
| Cut produce | Discard after 2 hrs above 40°F | Sliced melon, cut salad greens |
| Condiments | Keep (most) | Ketchup, mustard, jam, pickles |
| Mayo & tartar sauce | Discard after 8 hrs above 40°F | Opened mayo jar, deli salads |
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, “Food Safety During Power Outages.”
What to do with frozen food
Frozen food is more forgiving than refrigerated. USDA's rule: if it still has ice crystals or is at or below 40°F, it's safe to refreeze. Quality may suffer, but safety is intact.
Per USDA: a full freezer stays safe ~48 hours; half-full, ~24 hours. Mass equals thermal inertia — the more frozen food packed inside, the longer it holds. Keep your freezer at least 75% full year-round if outages are common.
Can you refreeze it?
USDA's three-part test:
Still has ice crystals
Yes, refreeze. The food never fully thawed — it's safe.
Thawed but still cold (≤40°F)
Refreeze for safety, but use sooner — quality and texture will suffer. Cook before refreezing where practical.
Above 40°F for over 2 hours
Discard. Bacterial growth has crossed USDA's safety line.
Before the next outage
When the power actually goes out: the Power Outage Center turns these rules into food-by-food keep-or-toss verdicts and a printable fridge-door checklist — tape it up before the next storm.