How Long Does Food Last in the Fridge Without Power?

Q: Can I taste food to check if it is still good?

No. You cannot taste, smell, or see the bacteria that cause foodborne illness. When you are unsure, throw it out.

A closed refrigerator keeps food safe for about 4 hours after the power goes out, according to the USDA. A full freezer holds its temperature for roughly 48 hours, or about 24 hours if it is half full. The key is to keep the doors shut, because every time you open them you let the cold out.

That is the short answer. Below is what to keep, what to throw out, how to stretch those hours, and how to keep your fridge running through a longer outage instead of racing the clock.

⚠️ When in doubt, throw it out

This page is planning guidance built on USDA and FDA recommendations, not a replacement for the official charts linked at the bottom. Never taste food to decide whether it is safe, and when you are unsure about an item, throw it out.

The 4-hour fridge rule, and the freezer rule

Food in the fridge stays safe for up to four hours if you keep the door closed. A freezer buys you more time because frozen food acts like a block of ice. A full freezer holds for about 48 hours, and a half-full one for about 24.

The number that matters is 40°F. Once perishable food sits above 40°F for more than two hours, it is no longer safe. You can’t judge that by eye, so keep an appliance thermometer in the fridge and one in the freezer. When the power comes back, the thermometer tells you whether the food stayed in the safe range the whole time.

What to throw out after 4 hours

If the fridge has been off for more than four hours, the USDA says to discard perishable food that has been above 40°F for two hours or more. Here is the quick keep-or-toss list for common items.

Refrigerated item	After 4+ hours without power
Raw or cooked meat, poultry, seafood	Throw out
Eggs and egg dishes	Throw out
Milk, cream, yogurt, soft cheese	Throw out
Cut fruit, cooked vegetables, leftovers	Throw out
Opened deli meat, cooked pasta or rice	Throw out
Hard and processed cheeses	Keep (check texture)
Butter and margarine	Keep
Ketchup, mustard, jam, peanut butter	Keep
Whole fresh fruit and raw vegetables	Keep
Bread, rolls, cakes without cream	Keep

How to make the cold last longer

Keep the fridge and freezer doors closed as much as you can. Decide what you need before you open the door.
Move fridge items into a cooler packed with ice or frozen gel packs, and keep that cooler at 40°F or below.
Group frozen food together so it holds the cold as one mass.
If an outage is in the forecast, freeze jugs of water and buy ice ahead of time.

Can you refreeze the food?

Yes, in many cases. The USDA says food is safe to refreeze if it still has ice crystals or is at 40°F or below. The texture may not be as good afterward, but it is safe. Anything that warmed past 40°F for more than two hours should go.

Keep your fridge cold for the whole outage

Four hours is the limit on a closed fridge, but it is not the limit on your food. A battery power station can run the fridge straight through the outage. A typical refrigerator pulls about 100 to 400 watts while running, with a short startup surge of roughly 600 to 2,000 watts, and it only runs part of the time. That duty cycle is why a mid-size power station can often keep a fridge cold for a full day or more on a single charge.

The right size depends on your fridge, not the battery’s label. Run your own numbers with the Appliance Runtime calculator to see how long a given power station would keep your fridge cold, or use the Power-Station Sizing calculator to find the capacity you need for a one or two day outage.

Frequently asked questions