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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to throw out the entire contents of my fridge and freezer?

31 replies

kaylasmum · 29/12/2012 22:39

For the last week we've had problems with our power supply due to a fault in an underground cable. They have'nt been able to locate the fault until today.

My power went off last night about 12.30 and did'nt come back on until half 5 this evening, so 17 hours without any electric I want to throw everything out but my dp wants to keep the sel
ection of cheeses that We have i don't think, its safe to eat them.

OP posts:
Nixea · 29/12/2012 22:40

I think it depends on how many times you've opened the door, how full your fridge is, etc.

Honestly, I'd rather be safe and get rid but I know how wasteful that might sound!

SirBoobAlot · 29/12/2012 22:41

Hmm. I'd eat cheeses tonight (you would always leave them out for a few hours to mellow anyway), definitely chuck the freezer stuff. Though maybe cook what you can from it, the stuff you'd normally defrost, and freeze meals?

quoteunquote · 29/12/2012 22:43

Check your insurance you should be covered.

alistron1 · 29/12/2012 22:45

I think anything in your fridge should be ok - however the frozen stuff I'd worry about, the risk of defrosting and refreezing would concern me.

squeakytoy · 29/12/2012 22:45

I wouldnt throw anything away out of the fridge, it will all still be fine.. if the freezer stuff is still mostly frozen I would keep that too..

hellhasnofurylikeahungrywoman · 29/12/2012 22:46

I'd eat the cheeses without a second thought, is that wrong?

OTTMummA · 29/12/2012 22:46

The cheese should be fine, it shouldn't be kept in the fridge unless it's cream cheese. Just wrap in wax paper and somewhere cold. Everything else will have to go though.

TraineeBabyCatcher · 29/12/2012 22:50

Most fridges/freezers are designed to hold temperature for 12hours (so I'm told), so at 17hours I really wouldn't risk it.

Have most things just defrosted? Or are they frozen now. If they're defrosted I would use them up- cook up a few meals tomorrow. If frozen now I would bin as they've probably refrozen, as apposed to stayed frozen.

Sallyingforth · 29/12/2012 22:50

The cheeses will be fine until their normal use-by date.
Frozen uncooked meat - thaw out and cook. Then eat within a couple of days or give away.

CoolaYuleA · 29/12/2012 22:52

Cheese doesn't need to be kept in the fridge - the whole point of cheese is that it was invented as a way to store milk because fridges didn't exist. It is an ancient food - it predates records, so well before the Romans - and there is no way they had fridges....

Cheese is actually better kept in a larder at a higher temp than the fridge.

YWBU to throw out the cheese - it will be better for not being chilled.

Eggs don't need to be refrigerated either - so keep any eggs too.

WorraLorraTurkey · 29/12/2012 22:52

Give them a good sniff, I'm sure they'll be fine.

Fridges only really became common place in the 70's...before that most people managed with larders.

Original poster
kaylasmum · 29/12/2012 22:54

Thanks for that, i've thrown all my freezer food out. I also have a salami selection, will that be ok or is it too risky?

My dp is very happy about the cheese!

OP posts:
BadgersRetreat · 29/12/2012 22:55

I would only worry about raw fish or meat. No way would I bin anything else

If the stuff in the freezer still feels frozen I would keep that too. Anything that feels defrosted, or partially so, I'd try and cook in the next couple of days, or bin

Fairyegg · 29/12/2012 22:57

I wouldn't bin anything to be honest.

CointreauVersial · 29/12/2012 23:02

I wouldn't bin anything, however anything from the freezer which had defrosted ought to go into the fridge and treated as fresh (not refrozen).

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 29/12/2012 23:02

I wouldn't bin anything, although it depends how good your fridge and freezer are. Ours is good to last 18 hours without power if the door is left shut but I would probably be ok with a while longer, because the manufacturer are always going to err on the side of caution.

I wouldn't bin the salami. On the continent they mostly don't keep those kind of things in the fridge anyway.

ravenAK · 29/12/2012 23:05

I'd risk it all tbh, unless freezer food that was definitely defrosting & couldn't be immediately used.

Any defrosting frozen but raw food should be OK if you cook it (eg. curries, pasta sauces etc) & then freeze from cooked?

Valpolliandtheivy · 29/12/2012 23:08

I wouldn't bin the salami - my Italian Grandmother used to make the stuff and it was never refrigerated. If its been cool-ish it will be fine.

Alliwantisaroomsomewhere · 30/12/2012 00:13

Salami will be fine. It is so processed anyway. If you do decide to throw it away, can I have it? LURVE salami!

HollaAtMeSanta · 30/12/2012 00:15

I wouldn't bin anything. Even the freezer stuff will probably be fine if you haven't opened the door. What have you actually got? Things like salami and cheese are definitely OK, milk fine too if it smells OK...

Softlysoftly · 30/12/2012 00:23

Top top for future reference, freeze some water in an egg cup and turn upside down. If the waters gone then your freezer defrosted and refroze at some point.
If you haven't been in the firdge a lot then id eat the cheeses btw.

HollaAtMeSanta · 30/12/2012 10:45

That is an excellent tip Softlysoftly! I'm doing that (although my freezer has a dodgy seal so I suspect I have eaten defrosted and refrozen foods many times and lived to tell the tale)

Thanks :) Thanks

Montybojangles · 30/12/2012 10:57

According to the USDA food safety page a turned off freezer full of food is ok for 2 days if door not opened, a half full one ok for 1 day.

Montybojangles · 30/12/2012 10:57

Sorry, just seen dodgy seal post, best to bin it or cook it I guess.

HollyBerryBush · 30/12/2012 11:01

17 hours is fine in a full freezer that doesnt have the door opened. It'll last a lot longer than that.

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