BUCKHORN CLIFFS

Food · Guide

When the Power Goes Out

Cold food is safe only while it stays cold. Keep the doors shut, know your timelines, and eat down the fridge before you open the freezer.

Quick facts

Fridge, door shut
4 hours
Freezer
48 hours full, 24 hours half-full
Discard
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, leftovers after 2 hours above 40°F
Eat in order
  • fridge first
  • freezer next
  • shelf-stable last
Refreeze
Only if it still has ice crystals or has stayed at 40°F or below
Never
Run charcoal grills or generators indoors, in a garage, or in a tent
4 hoursFridge, door shut
48 hoursFull freezer
24 hoursHalf-full freezer
40°F / 2 hrThen discard

Eat in this order

  1. Fridge first Most perishable
  2. Freezer next As it thaws
  3. Shelf-stable last Cans and dry goods
  4. Cook what may spoil While it is safe

Keep it (still safe)

  • Anything still at or below 40°F
  • Food with ice crystals still in it
  • Hard cheeses, butter, margarine
  • Unopened condiments and shelf-stable items

Recommended: discard after 2 hours above 40°F

  • Meat, poultry, fish, and eggs
  • Milk, soft cheese, and yogurt
  • Cooked leftovers and casseroles
  • Cut fruit and opened baby food

The 2-hour rule is stricter than the smell test, on purpose

Many of these foods still look and smell fine after two hours in the danger zone (40°F to 140°F), and that is the trap: warm meat and dairy can grow harmful bacteria with no visible sign. Treat two hours as the safe recommendation, judge borderline items with a fridge thermometer rather than your nose, and if these foods have been warm longer, discard them even when they seem fine.

Refreeze only if it is still cold

You can safely refreeze thawed food if it still has ice crystals or has stayed at 40°F or below, though quality may drop. Use appliance thermometers so you judge by numbers, not guesswork. Never taste food to decide.

Cooking without power

Propane / Butane

Camp stoves

Simple and controllable; store spare fuel.

Rocket / Wood

Scavenged fuel

Burn small sticks efficiently.

Grills

Outdoors only

Charcoal or gas for boiling and reheating.

Canned Heat

Small jobs

Sterno and fuel tabs warm food and boil small amounts.

Burning Fuel Indoors

Charcoal grills and generators make so much carbon monoxide that they must never run indoors, in a garage, or in a tent, even with a window open. If you truly have no other option for a small stove or heater, use only a unit rated for indoor use, keep strong cross-ventilation, run it only while you are awake, and keep a working battery-powered carbon monoxide detector in the room. Here is why the detector is not optional: carbon monoxide is invisible and odorless, and it binds to your blood far more readily than oxygen, so it can knock you out and kill you before you notice a thing. The alarm is the only way to know it is building up.

Questions this answers

Tap a question for the short answer.

How long does food last in the fridge without power?

A fridge keeps food safe for about 4 hours with the door shut. Once meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, soft cheese, or cooked leftovers have been above 40°F for 2 hours, discard them. Hard cheeses, butter, and unopened condiments are still safe to keep.

How long does a freezer stay cold without power?

A full freezer holds for 48 hours and a half-full freezer for 24 hours when you keep the door shut. You can safely refreeze thawed food that still has ice crystals or has stayed at 40°F or below, though quality may drop.

Keep going

Read nextWater: Storage and PurificationStore one gallon per person per day, half for drinking and half for hygiene, and aim for at least a two-week supply at home. When stored water runs low, know how to make more safe to drink.Water · Guide

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