Storing Food

Frozen Food and Power Outages: When to Save and When to Throw Out

Adapted from Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency (USDA).

Thawed or partially thawed food in the freezer may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below. Partial thawing and refreezing may affect the quality of some food, but the food will be safe to eat.

If you keep an appliance thermometer in your freezer, it’s easy to tell whether food is safe. When the power comes back on, check the thermometer. If it reads 40 °F or below, the food is safe and can be refrozen.

Never taste food to determine its safety! You can’t rely on appearance or odor to determine whether food is safe.

Note: Always discard any items in the freezer that have come into contact with raw meat juices.

You will have to evaluate each item separately. Use this chart as a guide.

Food Categories	Specific Foods	Still contains ice crystals and feels as cold as if refrigerated	Thawed and held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD	Beef, veal, lamb, pork, and ground meats	Refreeze	Discard
	Poultry and ground poultry	Refreeze	Discard
	Variety meats (liver, kidney, heart, chitterlings)	Refreeze	Discard
	Casseroles, stews, soups	Refreeze	Discard
	Fish, shellfish, breaded seafood products	Refreeze. However, there will be some texture and flavor loss.	Discard
DAIRY	Milk	Refreeze. May lose some texture.	Discard
	Eggs (out of shell) and egg products	Refreeze	Discard
	Ice cream, frozen yogurt	Discard	Discard
	Cheese (soft and semi-soft)	Refreeze. May lose some texture.	Discard
	Hard cheeses	Refreeze	Refreeze
	Shredded cheeses	Refreeze	Discard
	Casseroles containing milk, cream, eggs, soft cheeses	Refreeze	Discard
	Cheesecake	Refreeze	Discard
FRUITS	Juices	Refreeze	Refreeze. Discard if mold, yeasty smell, or sliminess develops.
FRUITS	Home or commercially packaged	Refreeze. Will change texture and flavor.	Refreeze. Discard if mold, yeasty smell, or sliminess develops.
VEGETABLES	Juices	Refreeze	Discard after held above 40 °F for 6 hours.
VEGETABLES	Home or commercially packaged or blanched	Refreeze. May suffer texture and flavor loss.	Discard after held above 40 °F for 6 hours.
BREADS, PASTRIES	Breads, rolls, muffins, cakes (without custard fillings)	Refreeze	Refreeze
	Cakes, pies, pastries with custard or cheese filling	Refreeze	Discard
	Pie crusts, commercial and homemade bread dough	Refreeze. Some quality loss may occur.	Refreeze. Quality loss is considerable.
OTHER	Casseroles – pasta, rice based	Refreeze	Discard
	Flour, cornmeal, nuts	Refreeze	Refreeze
	Breakfast items –waffles, pancakes, bagels	Refreeze	Refreeze
	Frozen meal, entree, specialty items (pizza, sausage and biscuit, meat pie, convenience foods)	Refreeze	Discard

Refrigerated Food and Power Outages: When to Save and When to Throw Out

Posted in Storing Food

Adapted from Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency (USDA).

Is food in the refrigerator safe during a power outage? It should be safe as long as power is out no more than 4 hours. Keep the door closed as much as possible. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers) that have been above 40 °F for over 2 hours.

Never taste food to determine its safety! You can’t rely on appearance or odor to determine whether food is safe.

Note: Always discard any items in the refrigerator that have come into contact with raw meat juices.

You will have to evaluate each item separately. Use this chart as a guide.

Food Categories	Specific Foods	Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD	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	Discard
CHEESE	Soft Cheeses: blue/bleu, Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage, cream, Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, queso blanco, queso fresco	Discard
	Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, provolone, Romano	Safe
	Processed Cheeses	Safe
	Shredded Cheeses	Discard
	Low-fat Cheeses	Discard
	Grated Parmesan, Romano, or combination (in can or jar)	Safe
DAIRY	Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt, eggnog, soy milk	Discard
	Butter, margarine	Safe
	Baby formula, opened	Discard
EGGS	Fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products	Discard
EGGS	Custards and puddings, quiche	Discard
FRUITS	Fresh fruits, cut	Discard
	Fruit juices, opened	Safe
	Canned fruits, opened	Safe
	Fresh fruits, coconut, raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits, dates	Safe
SAUCES, SPREADS, JAMS	Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish	Discard if above 50 °F for over 8 hrs.
	Peanut butter	Safe
	Jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, catsup, olives, pickles	Safe
	Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, hoisin sauces	Safe
	Fish sauces, oyster sauce	Discard
	Opened vinegar-based dressings	Safe
	Opened creamy-based dressings	Discard
	Spaghetti sauce, opened jar	Discard
BREAD, CAKES, COOKIES, PASTA, GRAINS	Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas	Safe
	Refrigerator biscuits, rolls, cookie dough	Discard
	Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes	Discard
	Pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinaigrette	Discard
	Fresh pasta	Discard
	Cheesecake	Discard
	Breakfast foods –waffles, pancakes, bagels	Safe
PIES, PASTRY	Pastries, cream filled	Discard
	Pies – custard, cheese filled, or chiffon; quiche	Discard
	Pies, fruit	Safe
VEGETABLES	Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices	Safe
	Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged	Discard
	Vegetables, raw	Safe
	Vegetables, cooked; tofu	Discard
	Vegetable juice, opened	Discard
	Baked potatoes	Discard
	Commercial garlic in oil	Discard
	Potato salad	Discard
	Casseroles, soups, stews	Discard

Ham Storage Chart

Posted in Storing Food

Type of Ham	Refrigerate	Freeze
Fresh (uncured) Ham, uncooked	3 to 5 days	6 months
Fresh (uncured) Ham, cooked	3 to 4 days	3 to 4 months
Cured Ham, cook-before-eating; uncooked	5 to 7 days or “use-by” date*	3 to 4 months
Cured Ham, cook-before-eating; after consumer cooks it	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Cooked Ham, vacuum sealed at plant,undated; unopened	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Cooked Ham, vacuum sealed at plant,dated; unopened	“Use- by” date*	1 to 2 months
Cooked Ham, vacuum sealed at plant, undated or dated; opened	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Cooked Ham, whole, store wrapped	7 days	1 to 2 months
Cooked Ham, half, store wrapped	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Cooked Ham, slices, store wrapped	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Spiral-cut hams and leftovers from consumer-cooked hams	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
**Country Ham, uncooked, cut	2 to 3 months	1 month
Country Ham, cooked	7 days	1 month
Canned Ham, labeled "Keep Refrigerated," unopened	6 to 9 months	Do not freeze
Canned Ham, labeled "Keep Refrigerated," opened	7 days	1 to 2 months
***Canned Ham, shelf stable, opened	3 to 4 days	1 to 2 months
Lunch Meat Ham, sealed at plant, unopened	2 weeks or “use-by” date*	1 to 2 months
Lunch Meat Ham, sealed at plant, after opening	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Lunch Meat Ham, sliced in store	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Prosciutto, Parma or Serrano Ham, dry Italian or Spanish type, cut	2 to 3 months	1 month

*Company determines its "use-by" date and stands by it.

** A whole, uncut country ham can be stored safely at room temperature for up to 1 year. The ham is safe after 1 year, but the quality may suffer.

*** An unopened shelf-stable, canned ham may be stored at room temperature for 2 years.

Egg Storage Chart

Posted in Storing Food

Eggs are one of nature's most nutritious and economical foods. But, you must take special care with handling and preparing fresh eggs and egg products to avoid food poisoning.

Product	Refrigerator	Freezer
Raw eggs in shell	3 to 5 weeks	Do not freeze. Instead, beat yolks and whites together; then freeze.
Raw egg whites	2 to 4 days	12 months
Raw egg yolks	2 to 4 days	Yolks do not freeze well.
Raw egg accidentally frozen in shell	Use immediately after thawing.	Keep frozen; then refrigerate to thaw.
Hard-cooked eggs	1 week	Do not freeze.
Egg substitutes, liquid Unopened	10 days	12 months
Egg substitutes, liquid Opened	3 days	Do not freeze.
Egg substitutes, frozen Unopened	After thawing, 7 days or refer to “Use-By” date.	12 months
Egg substitutes, frozen Opened	After thawing, 3 days or refer to “Use-By” date.	Do not freeze.
Casseroles with eggs	3 to 4 days	After baking, 2 to 3 months.
Eggnog Commercial	3 to 5 days	6 months
Eggnog Homemade	2 to 4 days	Do not freeze.
Pies Pumpkin or pecan	3 to 4 days	After baking, 1 to 2 months.
Pies Custard and chiffon	3 to 4 days	Do not freeze.
Quiche with filling	3 to 4 days	After baking, 1 to 2 months.

Storage Times for the Refrigerator and Freezer

Posted in Storing Food

These short but safe time limits for home-refrigerated foods will keep them from spoiling or becoming dangerous to eat. The guidelines for freezer storage are for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely.

Category	Food	Refrigerator (40 °F or below)	Freezer (0 °F or below)
Salads	Egg, chicken, ham, tuna & macaroni salads	3 to 5 days	Does not freeze well
Hot dogs	opened package	1 week	1 to 2 months
Hot dogs	unopened package	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Luncheon meat	opened package or deli sliced	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Luncheon meat	unopened package	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Bacon & Sausage	Bacon	7 days	1 month
Bacon & Sausage	Sausage, raw — from chicken, turkey, pork, beef	1 to 2 days	1 to 2 months
Hamburger & Other Ground Meats	Hamburger, ground beef, turkey, veal, pork, lamb, & mixtures of them	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb & Pork	Steaks	3 to 5 days	6 to 12 months
	Chops	3 to 5 days	4 to 6 months
	Roasts	3 to 5 days	4 to 12 months
Fresh Poultry	Chicken or turkey, whole	1 to 2 days	1 year
Fresh Poultry	Chicken or turkey, pieces	1 to 2 days	9 months
Soups & Stews	Vegetable or meat added	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
Leftovers	Cooked meat or poultry	3 to 4 days	2 to 6 months
	Chicken nuggets or patties	3 to 4 days	1 to 3 months
	Pizza	3 to 4 days	1 to 2 months

DLN Education Center

Storing Food

Frozen Food and Power Outages: When to Save and When to Throw Out

Refrigerated Food and Power Outages: When to Save and When to Throw Out

Ham Storage Chart

Egg Storage Chart

Storage Times for the Refrigerator and Freezer

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DLN Education Center

Storing Food

Frozen Food and Power Outages: When to Save and When to Throw Out

Refrigerated Food and Power Outages: When to Save and When to Throw Out

Ham Storage Chart

Egg Storage Chart

Storage Times for the Refrigerator and Freezer

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