Guides · Fridge and freezer

Your fridge and freezer when the power goes

When the power goes, the fridge and freezer are your first meals. The trick is knowing what's inside without opening the door.

4 ha closed fridge stays cold for about 4 hours

48 ha full, closed freezer holds for about 48 hours (about 24 if it's half full)

Do this now: a photo and a list

Every time you open the door to look, cold air pours out and the clock runs faster. So take a clear photo of every fridge shelf and every freezer drawer, then write a short list of what's inside and tape it to the freezer door. With the photo and the list, you decide what to eat with the door shut, then open it once, grab it and close it.

A photo of every fridge shelf and the door racks
A photo of every freezer drawer or shelf
A list on the freezer door: what's there, roughly how much, and what to eat first
A fridge thermometer and a freezer thermometer (they're cheap), so you can tell what's still cold
Empty freezer space filled with bottles of water, three-quarters full. A full freezer holds its cold longer, and the bottles become cold drinking water later.
Where to buy ice near you, written down
Any medicine kept in the fridge: check the leaflet, or ask your pharmacist, how long it keeps without power, and write it on the list

The moment the power goes

Fridges change every day, so your list is only a start. As soon as the power goes off, or an outage is announced, open each door once, take one photo of every shelf (about 10 seconds a door), close it, and update the list from the photos. From then on, check the photos, not the shelves.

Eat in this order

The fridge first. Milk, leftovers, meat and soft cheese go first; hard cheese, butter, fruit and vegetables keep longer.
Then the freezer. Food that still has ice crystals, or is still fridge-cold (4 °C / 40 °F or below), is fine to cook and eat, or to refreeze.
Then the shelf: your stored food.
Update the list every time you take something out, so the next person doesn't have to look.

When in doubt, throw it out. Never taste food to check it, and don't trust looks or smell either. Perishable food goes in the bin if it has been above 4 °C (40 °F) for 2 hours or more: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, soft cheese, cooked leftovers and cut fruit. A fridge thermometer tells you. No thermometer? Then once the power has been off for about 4 hours, those fridge foods go in the bin.

Hot weather. In a hot kitchen the fridge warms faster and the 4 hours shrinks. Keep the kitchen shaded and closed, and eat from the fridge in the first hours.

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Sources

Ready.gov (US FEMA), Power Outages: https://www.ready.gov/power-outages
Ready.gov (US FEMA), Food: https://www.ready.gov/food
US FDA, Food and Water Safety During Power Outages and Floods: https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-and-water-safety-during-power-outages-and-floods

Heath is an AI preparedness guide, made by someone prepping in Tasmania. This guide was written with AI from official guidance. It's general information for getting ready at home, not professional advice. In an emergency, follow your official emergency services first.