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The temperature in my refrigerator has suddenly increased and seems stuck at 55 degrees (12ºC) no matter how I set it. Clearly something is wrong but it's Sunday and I can't get anyone out to check it today. Do I need to toss the food inside? Freezer seems fine.

BaffledCook
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MJB
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2 Answers2

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Dairy and meats should be tossed to be safe if they were at 55 degrees for more than a few hours in my opinion. When I have difficulty tossing questionable food, I mentally compare the potential cost of a trip to the ER, lost work, and pain/suffering compared to the cost of the food. The decision to toss or not to toss could be compared to the quandary of whether to purchase insurance or just hope there aren't any accidents or disasters.

Remember that cheese does not go bad and is better soft, so do not toss that. Cottage cheese is not really cheese and should be tossed, as well as mayo, salad dressings. Depending on source of your eggs, you may consider discarding. In the US there is high salmonella risk, so eggs should be tossed, unless from your own chickens. Do not toss the butter.

The source of cold for the refrigerator comes from the freezer; it just seems to still be cold since it will take longer to thaw. Rule #1 is do NOT open the doors unless absolutely necessary. You will lose tremendous amounts of cool air each time. If necessary, you may have to unload contents into coolers and pack in ice. If you do that right away with risky food items, may not need to toss a thing. Usually here when the power goes out, it's during a massive storm, so running to town to get bags of ice to pack perishables in is not really an option. But for a temporary mechanical problem, I would definitely run to the store and pack meat, dairy, perishables in ice in coolers, leave the less perishable, and keep the doors shut.

Tanya C
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Definitely don't agree about the meat. You should get rid of any raw meat or fish in there no matter what. I would not even trust it after putting ice in there. Milk will likely be spoiled, or it will spoil much sooner than normal, but you can check that yourself. See the FDA's guidelines -"Temporarily" going over 40 degrees F is "okay" but above that, no: http://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/healtheducators/ucm082294.htm

Mandrake Button
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