Check refrigerated, frozen foods before cooking, reheating

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  • It is recommended baby formula be thrown away if it was stored in a refrigerator while the power was out and the temperature was above 40 degrees for more than 2 hours. Provided
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In times of weather crisis, such as this week with power outages, many thoughts come to mind.

In terms of deciding what refrigerated foods to keep and which ones to throw away, that decision comes down to what refrigerated foods will still be safe to eat when the power comes back on.

What foods need to be thrown away?

After Wednesday’s power outage, which lasted several hours, some foods will need to be thrown away.

“We had to throw everything away which didn’t meet temperature regulations. Right now we are reordering and our products will all be available Saturday,” Save-A-Lot store manager Te Dragg said

The following is a list of refrigerated foods from foodsafety.gov which need to be thrown away if temperature was above 40 degrees for more than 2 hours:

Meats

• Raw or leftover cooked meat, poultry, fish or seafood.

• Thawing meat or poultry.

• Salads: meat, tuna, shrimp, chicken or egg salad.

• Gravy, stuffing or broth.

• Lunchmeats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage and dried beef.

• Pizza with any topping.

• Canned hams labeled “keep refrigerated.”

• Canned meats and fish, opened.

• Casseroles, soups and stews.

• Casseroles, soups and stews.

Cheeses

• Soft cheeses, such as blue/bleu, Requefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage, cream Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, queso blanco and queso fresco.

• Shredded cheeses.

• Low-fat cheeses.

Dairy

•Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt, eggnog and soy milk.

• Opened baby formula.

Eggs

• Fresh eggs, hardcooked in shell, egg dishes and egg products.

• Custards, puddings and quiche.

Fruits

•Fresh cut fruits.

• Sliced or shredded coconut.

Sauces, spreads and jams

• Opened mayonnaise, tarter sauce and horseradish, if above 50 degrees for more than 8 hours.

• Fish sauces and oyster sauce.

• Opened creamybased dressings.

• Opened spaghetti sauce.

Breads, cakes, cookies, pasta and grains

• Refrigerator biscuits, rolls and cookie dough.

• Cooked pasta, rice and potatoes.

• Pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinaigrette.

• Fresh pasta.

• Cheesecake.

Pies and pastry

• Cream-filled pastries.

• Pies, such as custard, cheese-filled or chiffon.

Vegetables

• Fresh cut vegetables.

• Pre-cut, pre-washed and packaged greens.

• Cooked vegetables.

• Cooked tofu.

• Opened vegetable juice.

• Baked potatoes.

• Commercial garlic in oil.

• Potato salad.

• Casseroles, soups and stews.

The following is a list of frozen foods from foodsafety.gov which need to be thrown away if the item is thawed and the temperature was above 40 degrees for more than 2 hours:

Meats

• Meat, poultry and seafood — all types of cuts.

• Stews and soups.

Dairy

• Milk.

• Eggs, out of shell, and egg products.

• Ice cream, and frozen yogurt.

• Cheeses, soft and semi-soft.

• Shredded cheeses.

• Cheesecake.

Fruits

• Juices — discard if mold, yeasty smell or sliminess develops.

• Home or commercially packages — discard if mold, yeasty smell or sliminess develops.

Vegetables

• Juices — discard if temperature was above 40 degrees for 6 hours or more.

• Home or commercially packages — discard if temperature was above 40 degrees for 6 hours or more.

Breads and pastries

• Cakes, pies and pastries with custard or cheese filling.

Other foods

• Casseroles.

• Frozen meals, entrees and specialty items, such as pizza, sausage and biscuit, meat pies and convenience foods.