


It's not so funny if your electricity is off - and so is your refrigerator.

When that's the case, you don't have a lot of time before the food in your refrigerator could go bad - only four hours for many foods. The temperature to keep in mind is 40 degrees. Anything perishable - such as raw meat, cooked foods or soft cheeses - that's been warmer than that temperature for more than two hours should be discarded, according to federal food-safety guidelines. Fresh produce generally can be saved, but not prewashed packaged greens. Anything that's been in contact with raw meat juices should be discarded. Do not gauge the safety of food by its smell.

The key is to keep your refrigerator closed - don't dip in there for a glass of milk because each time you open the door you cause the refrigerator to warm up faster. For a list of safety guidelines for specific foods in the fridge and freezer, see



