Power Outages
How long is food good in the freezer without power? A keep-or-toss chart
A full freezer keeps food cold for about 48 hours with the door shut, a half-full one about 24. Here are the time limits, the 40 °F test and a food-by-food chart, so you can sort the freezer in minutes instead of guessing.
On this page (13 sections)
- Freezer no power food safety: how long food stays safe
- One-page freezer checklist to work through on the page
- Food safety in a power outage: the 40 °F line
- How to sort the freezer, step by step
- Food safety freezer chart: refreeze, cook or toss
- How to keep the freezer cold longer
- What to do with the food you keep
- Sorting a freezer after a 30-hour outage
- Troubleshooting
- When to get help
- Frequently asked questions
- Your next step
- Sources
It is 2 a.m., the power has been out since yesterday morning, and you are searching on your phone because the chicken and the milk in the freezer are finally soft and you cannot tell whether they are still safe. Last time, after a 36-hour outage, you threw out about $120 of food because you could not risk it — and you never found out whether you had to.
Here is the answer you were looking for: a full freezer keeps food cold for about 48 hours with the door kept shut, and a half-full freezer for about 24 hours (FDA). After that, the temperature decides. Food that still has ice crystals, or reads 40 °F (4 °C) or below, can be refrozen or cooked. Food that thawed and sat above 40 °F for more than 2 hours should be thrown out (Penn State Extension). The chart below takes you item by item, from chicken to ice cream.
How this page decides — and why you can check it
Every number here comes from the FDA, Penn State Extension or the National Center for Home Food Preservation pages listed in the Sources section at the bottom, and where two sources give different limits, this page takes the stricter one. You do not have to take that on trust: each claim names its source, and the links open the original pages. The site's canning guides follow USDA and National Center for Home Food Preservation tested methods only, never blog opinion. Treat this page the same way: check the source, then check your food.
Key takeaways
- A full freezer keeps food cold about 48 hours with the door shut; a half-full freezer about 24 (FDA).
- Food with ice crystals, or at 40 °F or below, can be refrozen or cooked (FDA).
- Food that thawed and sat above 40 °F for more than 2 hours goes out (Penn State Extension).
- Do not judge by look or smell. The FDA says you cannot rely on appearance or odor; use a thermometer or check for ice crystals.
- Keep an appliance thermometer at the front of the freezer, where you can read it by opening the door a crack (Penn State Extension).
- Generators stay outdoors, at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents, never in a garage or basement (Ready.gov, American Red Cross).
The power just went out: do this now
- Write down the time the power went off. Every limit below counts from it.
- Close the freezer and leave it closed. Penn State Extension says to open the doors as little as possible so the cold lasts longer.
- Put the appliance thermometer at the front of the freezer so you only have to open the door a crack to read it.
- If the outage may run long, start lining up coolers, ice or frozen gel packs (FDA).
Things this guide mentions
Amazon searches, not product picks: we have not tested what they show. Check the specs and the return policy on each listing before you buy.
Freezer no power food safety: how long food stays safe
| Unit | Safe for about | What decides it after that |
|---|---|---|
| Full freezer | 48 hours | Ice crystals left, or a reading of 40 °F or below: refreeze or cook |
| Half-full freezer | 24 hours | The same check, just sooner |
| Refrigerator | About 4 hours, unopened | Use the fridge keep-or-toss chart |
These are estimates from the FDA. How full the freezer is, how often the door opens and how warm the room is all change the real time. Penn State Extension's advice for a short outage is to do nothing and open the doors as little as possible.
If you are only a few hours in, do not start moving food around. Unless the door has been standing open, nothing in the freezer has crossed a limit yet. Use the time to eat from the pantry and plan the next step, rather than opening the freezer to browse. The fridge side of power outage food safety is covered in the fridge food chart; the freezer has its own rules.
One-page freezer checklist to work through on the page
This is the list to run down in order. Keep it open on your phone while you stand at the freezer; there is nothing to print, download or sign up for.
- Time written down. The hour the power went off, and the hour it came back.
- Door kept shut. No browsing. Every open costs cold air.
- Thermometer at the front. Read it through a crack in the door.
- One reading recorded. 40 °F or below? The FDA says the food is safe and may be refrozen.
- Every package checked. Ice crystals count as still safe (FDA).
- Thawed and warm packages set aside. They get the 2-hour test, not a taste test.
- Keep pile labeled. Date the refrozen packages so you use them first.
- Cook-now pile planned. Thawed-but-cold food moves to the front of the meal plan.
- Trash bag ready. Anything with an unusual odor, color or texture goes out, no tasting (Penn State Extension).
- Freezer topped up. Frozen water bottles fill the gaps before the next outage.
Food safety in a power outage: the 40 °F line
The freezer rule comes down to one number: 40 °F (4 °C). Both the FDA and Penn State Extension use it as the line between safe and not. The FDA's test after the power comes back is simple, and it works with or without a thermometer:
- With a freezer thermometer: 40 °F or below means the food is safe and may be refrozen (FDA).
- Without a thermometer: check each package. Food that still contains ice crystals, or is 40 °F or below, is safe to refreeze or cook (FDA).
- With a food thermometer: take the temperature of anything that looks soft or partly thawed. Penn State Extension recommends keeping a digital thermometer on hand for exactly this.
What you cannot do is look at it or smell it. The FDA is explicit that you cannot rely on appearance or odor, and Penn State Extension's rule is to discard anything with an unusual odor, color or texture and never to taste food to judge it. A package that smells normal proves nothing; a package that smells off is out.
The sources differ slightly on how long food can sit above 40 °F before it has to go. Penn State Extension says to discard perishables once the temperature has been above 40 °F for more than 2 hours. The FDA says to discard perishable food held at room temperature for 2 hours or more (1 hour if the room is above 90 °F), and separately says refrigerated perishables above 40 °F for 4 hours or more should be discarded. When two trusted sources disagree, this page uses the stricter one: plan on 2 hours above 40 °F, and you are covered either way.
One FDA detail is worth knowing if your food reads just above the line. It says perishable foods at 45 °F or below, measured with a food thermometer, should be safe, but should be cooked and eaten as soon as possible rather than put back in the freezer to sit for months.
How to sort the freezer, step by step
Note the start time and the end time
Write down the time the power went out and the time it came back. That total is the number every limit on this page is measured against.
Done when: you know how many hours the freezer was unpowered.
Open the door a crack and read the freezer thermometer
Keep the thermometer at the front of the freezer so opening the door a crack is enough. Penn State Extension recommends keeping it close to the door opening and opening the door only slightly. If it reads 40 °F or below, the FDA says the food is safe and may be refrozen. No thermometer? Go to step 3 and check package by package.
Done when: you have one temperature reading written down.
Check package by package
Ice crystals mean it is still safe to refreeze or cook (FDA). A package that has fully thawed and run warm gets the 2-hour test from the 40 °F section above.
Done when: every package is in a keep pile, a cook-now pile or the trash.
Cook the questionable-but-cold items first
Anything that thawed but stayed cold moves to the front of the meal plan. The FDA says perishable food that was not kept cold enough can still make you sick even when thoroughly cooked, so if it ran warm, throw it out instead of cooking it.
Done when: the cook-now pile is cooked, eaten or frozen as a finished dish.
Label what you refreeze
Mark refrozen packages with the date, so you know to use them first and to expect a little quality change in meat, fish or fruit.
Done when: refrozen food is back in a cold freezer and labeled.
Food safety freezer chart: refreeze, cook or toss
The middle column follows the FDA's freezer test. The right-hand column follows Penn State Extension's discard list for perishable foods that have stayed above 40 °F for more than 2 hours. The everyday items in bold are the ones people ask about most.
| Food | Still has ice crystals, or 40 °F or below | Thawed and above 40 °F for over 2 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken and turkey, raw or cooked; other poultry | Refreeze or cook | Throw out |
| Ground beef, steaks, pork, raw meat, fish and seafood | Refreeze or cook | Throw out |
| Hot dogs, cold cuts, cooked casseroles, soups, stews, pizza | Refreeze or cook | Throw out |
| Milk, cream, sour cream, yogurt; soft, shredded and low-fat cheeses | Refreeze or cook; texture will suffer | Throw out |
| Eggs and egg dishes, custards, puddings | Refreeze or cook | Throw out |
| Cooked pasta, rice, pasta salads, baked or mashed potatoes, potato salad | Refreeze or cook | Throw out |
| Creamy salad dressings, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, opened spaghetti sauce, cookie dough, refrigerator biscuits or rolls | Refreeze or cook | Throw out |
| Cut fresh fruit, greens, cooked vegetables, opened vegetable juice | Refreeze or cook | Throw out |
| Ice cream and frozen desserts, once fully melted | Throw out for quality, even if still cold | Throw out |
| Hard and processed cheeses that are properly wrapped, grated Parmesan and Romano, margarine or butter | Refreeze or use | Keep — Penn State Extension lists these as safe even above 40 °F for more than 2 hours |
| Anything with an unusual odor, color or texture | Throw out | Throw out |
Two notes on reading this table. First, the FDA test is the general rule for anything frozen; where a specific food is not on a source list, use it. Second, the right-hand column is about safety, not quality. Food can be safe to keep and still be something nobody wants to eat, which is a decision about your kitchen rather than a food safety one.
Watch for: tasting to check
Never taste food to decide whether it is safe. Penn State Extension states it plainly, and cooking does not undo the problem: the FDA says perishable food that was not kept cold enough may cause illness even when it is thoroughly cooked.
How to keep the freezer cold longer
- Keep the door shut. Penn State Extension's advice for a short outage is to do nothing at all and open the doors as little as possible.
- Have coolers and ice ready. The FDA suggests having coolers on hand for outages past 4 hours, plus ice cubes and frozen gel packs made ahead and stored in the freezer.
- Freeze water bottles while the power is on. They hold cold during an outage and become drinking water as they melt; the emergency water storage guide explains how much to keep.
- Plan for dry ice only if you can buy it safely. The FDA gives a figure to plan around: 50 pounds of dry ice should keep an 18-cubic-foot, fully stocked freezer cold for two days. Ask the seller for safe-handling instructions when you buy it.
If you need them: appliance thermometers (Amazon, affiliate link) opens in a new tab for the freezer and digital food thermometers (Amazon, affiliate link) opens in a new tab for checking individual packages.
Disclosure: the links just above are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We do not sell, test or rate products, and a thermometer from any store will do the same job.
Watch for: generators and carbon monoxide
If you run a generator to keep the freezer going, the American Red Cross says never use it inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace or any partly enclosed area, and that opening doors and windows will not prevent carbon monoxide buildup. Ready.gov says to keep it at least 20 feet from windows, doors and vents and to have battery-backed carbon monoxide alarms. Never plug a generator into a wall outlet; a permanent connection needs a transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician.
What to do with the food you keep
You do not have to thaw everything before you cook it. The National Center for Home Food Preservation says meat, fish and poultry can be cooked from the frozen or thawed stage, and that a large frozen roast may take up to 1½ times as long as a thawed one. If you do thaw, the refrigerator is the best place, in the original wrapping. For a faster thaw, seal the package and hold it in cold running water, or in a container of cold water changed at least every 30 minutes. A microwave works only if you cook the food immediately afterward. Any poultry you plan to stuff should be thawed completely first.
Cooked dishes are simpler: NCHFP says casseroles, soups, stews and leftovers should be heated to at least 165 °F in the center before serving. Butter, eggs, milk and cheese should thaw in the refrigerator and then be used as fresh. Precooked breads, cakes and cookies can thaw at room temperature.
And cook the meat, poultry, fish and eggs you are serving to their safe minimum internal temperature, as the FDA advises for food that stayed cold through an outage. If a package thawed fully and you are not sure how warm it got, the honest answer is to throw it out. One skipped meal is not worth a sick child.
While the fridge and freezer are being sorted, meals come from the pantry. The emergency food supply list and the power outage kit guide cover what to keep on hand so an outage does not turn into a takeout emergency.
Sorting a freezer after a 30-hour outage
A household of four loses power at 7 p.m. during an ice storm. The freezer is about three-quarters full. Nobody opens it that night. The next morning, roughly 14 hours in, they open the door a crack and read the freezer thermometer: 24 °F. No action. Just before midnight, about 29 hours in, the thermometer reads 38 °F, still below 40 °F, so the FDA rule says the food is safe and may be refrozen. The packages of ground meat at the front have softened but still have ice crystals, so they go into the fridge to thaw for that night's dinner. A tub of ice cream has melted completely and is thrown out for quality. Power returns at 1 a.m., about 30 hours after it went out. The still-cold packages go back in the freezer and are labeled with the date. Nothing else is discarded.
The difference between this household and a freezer full of wasted food is not equipment. It is an appliance thermometer and a note on the fridge door with the time the power went out.
Troubleshooting
- If you do not know how long the power was off
- Check your utility's outage map or a stopped clock. If you still cannot tell and have no temperature reading, treat the food as thawed and use the 2-hour rule. The FDA says you cannot rely on appearance or odor.
- If the freezer was only half full
- Plan on about 24 hours rather than 48 (FDA), and start moving food to a cooler with ice sooner.
- If the thermometer reads just above 40 °F but ice crystals are still in the package
- The FDA test is ice crystals or 40 °F or below, so a partly frozen package with crystals can still be refrozen or cooked. Cook it soon rather than leaving it for months.
- If everything thawed but still feels cold
- Take a reading with a food thermometer. The FDA says perishables at 45 °F or below should be safe but should be cooked and eaten as soon as possible.
- If the outage was 4 hours or less and the door stayed shut
- You are well inside the 48-hour limit for a full freezer and the 24-hour limit for a half-full one (FDA). Shut the door and check again later.
- If one package smells or looks wrong
- Throw it out and never taste it (Penn State Extension). Keep it away from the food you are keeping.
When to get help
Call for help if
- A carbon monoxide alarm sounds, or anyone feels dizzy, sick or sleepy near a running generator: get everyone outside, then call 911.
- Anyone in the household feels unwell after eating food you were unsure about: contact a health care provider. This site does not give medical advice.
- The outage is long and the freezer holds food you rely on: your local Cooperative Extension office can talk through the food safety questions with you.
Who to ask. In an emergency, call 911. If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds or anyone feels dizzy, sick or confused, get everyone outside into fresh air first, then call 911. Report outages and downed power lines to your utility. For local hazards, shelters and alerts, contact your city or county emergency management office (start at Ready.gov).
Frequently asked questions
How long is food good in the freezer without power?
With the door kept shut, the FDA says a full freezer keeps food cold for about 48 hours and a half-full freezer for about 24 hours. After that, the temperature decides: food with ice crystals, or at 40 °F or below, can be refrozen or cooked. Food that thawed and stayed above 40 °F for more than 2 hours should be discarded (Penn State Extension).
Can I refreeze chicken or meat that thawed during a power outage?
Yes, if it still has ice crystals or reads 40 °F or below (FDA). If it thawed completely and sat above 40 °F for more than 2 hours, throw it out (Penn State Extension). Expect some quality loss in refrozen meat; the refreezing thawed meat guide walks through the timing.
How do I check frozen food without a thermometer?
Open one package at a time and look for ice crystals. The FDA says food that still contains ice crystals or is 40 °F or below is safe to refreeze or cook, and that you cannot rely on appearance or odor. Penn State Extension recommends keeping an appliance thermometer in the freezer and a digital thermometer for checking individual thawed packages, which removes the guesswork next time.
What is the food safety freezer rule after an outage?
40 °F (4 °C) is the line both the FDA and Penn State Extension use. Food at or below it is safe to refreeze or cook. Penn State Extension says to discard perishables once they have been above 40 °F for more than 2 hours; the FDA's own above-40 °F limit is 4 hours. This page plans on the stricter 2-hour limit, so you are covered either way.
Does a full freezer really stay cold longer?
Yes. The FDA gives about 48 hours for a full freezer and about 24 hours for a half-full one, with the door kept closed. The frozen food itself is what holds the cold, so a freezer with empty space loses temperature faster. Keeping it topped up with frozen water bottles is a free way to buy time before the next outage.
How long can thawed food sit at room temperature?
The FDA says perishable food held at room temperature for 2 hours or more should be discarded, or 1 hour if the outdoor temperature is above 90 °F. The National Center for Home Food Preservation gives a similar window, warning that products containing meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy could cause food poisoning if they stay at room temperature more than 2 to 4 hours.
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Sources
- Food and Water Safety During Power Outages and Floods, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (accessed October 30, 2026).
- Keeping Food Safe When the Power Goes Out!, Penn State Extension (accessed October 30, 2026).
- Thawing and Preparing Foods for Serving, National Center for Home Food Preservation (accessed October 30, 2026).
- Power Outages, Ready.gov, FEMA (accessed October 30, 2026).
- Generator Safety, American Red Cross (accessed October 30, 2026).
Ready for the next outage
Before, during and after an outage, in order: food safety, light, water, staying warm or cool, and generator safety.