Planned repairs, bad weather or power grid overloads can lead to a power outage. On average, power outages last around 15 minutes, but in the event of a storm or a power plant failure, Germans have to go without electricity for much longer. For many, the question then arises: How long will the food lastin the refrigeratorstill fresh and in which cases should you throw them away? It's not just the food that matters, other factors also play an important role. We explain why the stored goods don't go bad straight away.
How long does food stay fresh in the refrigerator and freezer after a power outage?
How long the refrigerator or freezer compartment keeps the cold depends on several factors.
1. The thermal insulation of the device. Modern refrigerators are very well insulated and can therefore last longerFood freshpreserve. The higher the efficiency class of the refrigerator, the longer it can function without electricity. Older models have a significantly higher risk of spoilage, primarily due to poor seals and insufficient thermal insulation.
2. The room temperature. The higher the room temperature, the faster the food in the refrigerator and freezer will warm up. In summer, food can go bad after just 2-3 hours. In contrast, in winter they can stay fresh for over 20 hours as long as the room is not heated during the power outage.
3. How often the refrigerator is opened. If possible, you should not open the refrigerator during the power outage.
4. What kind of food you keep in the fridge. The shelf life can vary greatly depending on whether you are eating cheese, fresh meat,homemade ice creamor have vegetables in the fridge. Below you will find a list of the different foods.
5. The temperature in the refrigerator and freezer immediately after the power outage. If it is -10 degrees Celsius in the freezer and 4 degrees Celsius in the refrigerator, the food is most likely fresh.
Store food in the freezer compartment and freezer
Basically, freezer compartments keep the food in the refrigerator fresh for over 24 hours. Chest freezers provide a significantly longer storage time and keep frozen food fresh for over 50 hours. Most manufacturers indicate the storage times in the event of a power failure in tables. In addition, modern refrigerators are equipped with a detector that shows a message on the display indicating the maximum temperature reached. Have you in oneSmart kitchen applianceinvested, then you will receive a message on your cell phone when the refrigerator is disconnected from the power and when it is then switched on again. You can use the time period to calculate how long the power outage lasted and assess whether the food is still fresh. To be on the safe side, you should check the following:
- smell and color. If frozen goods no longer look good, they have thawed and you can smell a bad smell, then you should throw away the food immediately.
- You should throw away thawed baby food, ice cream and creams with cream. The risk that you or your children will consume spoiled products is too great.
- You should also definitely throw away any thawed meat, eggs and fish. They are one of the most perishable foods on the surface of which salmonella bacteria can multiply. Frozen foods of animal origin should be defrosted in the microwave and prepared immediately, cooking the meat through.
- Thawed vegetables can be frozen for a maximum of a week. It is best to throw away completely thawed vegetables.
- Lightthawed fruit canUse them straight away for baked goods or throw them away.
- You should definitely throw away even slightly thawed pizza, frozen food and ready meals.
- Foods that contain a lot of water usually thaw much more slowly than those that have a low water content.
In cases of doubt, ie if the food in the freezer compartment has not thawed or defrosted, you should measure its core temperature. If it is 4 degrees Celsius or even lower, frozen goods are considered harmless. However, if the products have a core temperature above 4 degrees Celsius, then you should not consume them.
How to prepare for a power outage:Fill the freezer compartment with dry ice. Group meat and fish together and place them in a container. Even if the meat starts to thaw during a power outage, the defrosting liquid will not drip directly onto the other food.
What you shouldn't do in the event of a power outage:Do not take food out of the freezer or leave it outside. Many hobby chefs make this mistake, especially in winter. Even if the temperatures outside are below zero, the sun's rays can thaw the food.
How long does food last in the refrigerator in the event of a power outage?
The freezer compartment or chest freezer is equipped with detectors, but unfortunately there are none in the refrigerator compartment. Here you should be guided by the smell and appearance. Never try foods to test the taste. Otherwise you risk getting food poisoningBacteria like E.Coli. For ready-to-eat meals and perishable foods, 4 degrees Celsius must not be exceeded for more than two hours. Only by complying with this condition can you avoid the proliferation of harmful bacteria. Here is a list of foods and an explanation of when you should throw them away:
1. For the following meat products, the product temperature should be below 4 degrees Celsius:
- Fresh meat and meat products, cooked meat and meat substitute products made from soy
- Thawed meat
- Hair game
- minced meat
- poultry
- Salads that contain meat, tuna, shrimp, chicken or eggs
- Meat broth, offal
- Hot dogs, bacon, sausages, jerky
- Garnished pizza
- Any can that contains meat and must be kept in the refrigerator after opening
- Casseroles, soups, stews with meat, fish or meat substitutes made from soy
2. You should definitely throw away these types of cheese if the temperature in the refrigerator is above 4 degrees Celsius:
- Soft cheeses such as Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cream cheese, Edam, Monterey, Jack, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, Queso.
- Grated cheese
- Low fat cheese
3. And you can keep these cheeses:
- Hard cheeses such as Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, Provolone, Romano
- Processed cheese
4. Some dairy products you should throw away after 2 hours at over 4 degrees Celsius, others you can keep:
- Milk, premium milk, cream cheese, sour cream, buttermilk, yogurt, soy milk - throw away these products if the power outage lasts longer than half an hour.
- Opened starter milk, follow-on milk and children's milk - discard these products if the power outage lasts longer than 15 minutes.
- Butter, margarine – keep it, the maximum temperature in this case is 10 degrees Celsius
- Dairy products such as tzatziki and milk for making cream cheese can be stored at a maximum of 10 degrees Celsius.
5. Fresh eggs, hard-boiled eggs with shells, dishes containing eggs and foods containing raw eggs such as puddings, quiche, etc. should be thrown away after a power failure of 2 hours.
6. Fruits:
- Throw away fruit salads and coconut milk and shredded coconut if the temperature in the refrigerator exceeds 7 degrees Celsius
- You can keep fresh fruit, fruit juice, canned fruit, almonds, dry fruit, raisins
7. Sauces and Jams:
- You should throw away tartar sauce and mayonnaise with fresh eggs if the temperature in the refrigerator exceeds 7 degrees Celsius.
- Peanut butter – keep it, the maximum temperature in this case is 7 degrees Celsius
- Keep taco sauce, mustard, olives, pickled cucumbers, the maximum temperature in this case is 7 degrees Celsius
- You should throw away fish sauce if the temperature in the refrigerator exceeds 4 degrees Celsius.
- You can keep dressings with vinegar
- You should throw away spaghetti sauce if the temperature in the refrigerator exceeds 7 degrees Celsius.
8. Pasta:
- You can keep waffles, pancakes, baguettes, bread, muffins, cookies, tortillas
- You should throw away cookie dough, cooked pasta, rice and potatoes, salads with pasta and mayonnaise or vinaigrette, cheesecake if the temperature in the refrigerator exceeds 4 degrees Celsius.
9. Pies and cakes:
- You should throw away cakes with cream, cheesecake and quiche if the temperature in the refrigerator exceeds 4 degrees Celsius.
- You can keep the fruit cake
10. Vegetables:
- You should throw away peeled fresh vegetables, green salad, cooked vegetables, cooked tofu, vegetable juice, baked potatoes, potato salad, pickled garlic and vegetable soups when the temperature in the refrigerator exceeds 4 degrees Celsius.
- You can keep fresh vegetables and fresh herbs and mushrooms as long as they smell good and there is no visible rot.
11. Fish and Seafood:
- Fish or seafood leftovers, smoked fish, fried and cooked fish, fish products, cooked and fresh crabs and molluscs, as well as live mussels should be stored at a maximum of 0 degrees Celsius. If the power outage lasts longer than 30 minutes, you should throw away this food to be on the safe side.
If you are at home during the power outage, you can measure the temperatures in the refrigerator regularly and also know the duration of the power outage. However, if you are not at home, you should check the smell and appearance of the food. To be on the safe side, try to consume or use all perishable products within the week.
Foods you shouldn't keep in the fridge
Below we will tell you a mistake that many people make. In order to keep food fresh for as long as possible, we all too often keep products in the refrigerator that have no place there. Because there are also foods that tolerate cold very poorly. These include:
- Vegetables that contain water spoil more quickly if stored below 7 degrees Celsius. Vegetables containing water include cucumbers, iceberg lettuce, lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini and asparagus.
- Honey becomes too hard at temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius, so store it in the pantry.
- If stored in the refrigerator, the bread will start to mold much more quickly.
- Cooking oil is better stored in the pantry than in the refrigerator.
How to prepare for a power outage: Store food in separate containers in the refrigerator and freezer. Before eating, check whether they smell and look good. After a power outage, try to use the food as quickly as possible. If in doubt, throw them away.
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