Is food in the refrigerator safe during a power outage? As long as the power is out no more than 4 hours, it should be safe. Make sure you keep the refrigerator door closed as much as possible.
- Never taste food to determine its safety! You can’t rely on appearance or odor to determine whether food is safe.
- Use a digital thermometer to check internal temperature
- Throw away items exposed to temperatures greater than 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 2 hours
- Frozen food in freezer may be safe for 24 hours
- If there's doubt, throw it out
Note: Always discard any items in the refrigerator that have come into contact with raw meat juices.
Use this chart as a guide from FoodSafety.gov.
MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
- DISCARD: Raw or leftover cooked meat, poultry, fish, or seafood; soy meat substitutes
- DISCARD: Thawing meat or poultry
- DISCARD: Salads: Meat, tuna, shrimp, chicken, or egg salad
- DISCARD: Gravy, stuffing, broth
- DISCARD: Lunchmeats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, dried beef
- DISCARD: Pizza – with any topping
- DISCARD: Canned hams labeled "Keep Refrigerated"
- DISCARD: Canned meats and fish, opened
- DISCARD: Casseroles, soups, stews
CHEESE - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
- DISCARD: Soft Cheeses: blue/bleu, Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage, cream, Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, queso blanco, queso fresco
- SAFE: Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, provolone, Romano
- SAFE: Processed Cheeses
- DISCARD: Shredded Cheeses
- DISCARD: Low-fat Cheeses
- SAFE: Grated Parmesan, Romano, or combination (in can or jar)
DAIRY - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
- DISCARD: Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt, eggnog, soy milk
- SAFE: Butter, margarine
- DISCARD: Baby formula, opened
EGGS - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
- DISCARD: Fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products
- DISCARD: Custards and puddings, quiche
FRUITS - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
- DISCARD: Fresh fruits, cut
- SAFE: Fruit juices, opened
- SAFE: Canned fruits, opened
- SAFE: Fresh fruits, coconut, raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits, dates
SAUCES, SPREADS, JAMS - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
- Discard if above 50 °F for over 8 hrs: Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish
- SAFE: Peanut butter
- SAFE: Jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, catsup, olives, pickles
- SAFE: Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, hoisin sauces
- DISCARD: Fish sauces, oyster sauce
- SAFE: Opened vinegar-based dressings
- DISCARD: Opened creamy-based dressings
- DISCARD: Spaghetti sauce, opened jar
BREAD, CAKES, COOKIES, PASTA, GRAINS - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
- SAFE: Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas
- DISCARD: Refrigerator biscuits, rolls, cookie dough
- DISCARD: Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes
- DISCARD: Pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinaigrette
- DISCARD: Fresh pasta
- DISCARD: Cheesecake
- SAFE: Breakfast foods –waffles, pancakes, bagels
PIES, PASTRY - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
- DISCARD: Pastries, cream filled
- DISCARD: Pies – custard, cheese filled, or chiffon; quiche
- SAFE: Pies, fruit
VEGETABLES - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
- SAFE: Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices
- DISCARD: Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged
- SAFE: Vegetables, raw
- DISCARD: Vegetables, cooked; tofu
- DISCARD: Baked potatoes
- DISCARD: Commercial garlic in oil
- DISCARD: Potato salad
- DISCARD: Casseroles, soups, stews
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
