Food accidentally left unrefrigerated for up to 10 days -- what needs to be thrown away?
We have a small, rarely-used auxiliary fridge (dorm-room size) in a storage room. Last week as part of preparing for Passover we took nearly everything from our kitchen fridge that we knew we wouldn't use up before the holiday, and put it in our auxiliary fridge. Now that the holiday is over I went to retrieve the contents and discovered to my horror that at some point during the week it had failed: the compressor wasn't running, the door was slightly ajar, and there were mouse poops all over the lids of our jars.
Some of the contents obviously need to be thrown away: the package of baba gannouj, the open jar of salsa, any packaging with mouse holes in it. Some things are almost certainly fine: the jar of dried zante currants, for example. But some items are less clear to me. Which of the following items are safe to use, after a period of (up to) 10 days without refrigeration?
- Miso (hatcha, brown rice, and barley)
- Almond meal
- Almond butter
- Sunflower seed butter
- Baker's yeast
- Oat flour
- Brown mustard
- Coconut flour
- Arrowroot flour
- Borage oil
- Evening primrose oil
- Hempseed oil
- Mirin
All of the above are items that we normally keep refrigerated, and I know that they are all items that are best kept refrigerated. But I am having trouble determining which among them must be kept refrigerated.
Best Answer
Fridge left ajar and finding mice droppings surely are pretty good reasons to not (over)think too much before dumping all the opened items, at a minimum everything that is not tightly and securely sealed inside a container.. Tossing food is never good, but everything you had said points to doing so out of necessity to avoid any chance of someone getting sick. I would be inclined to dump everything. The inside of the fridge could do with a thorough wash as well before restocking.
Other than that, it would depend on your ambient temperature and what the maximum sustained temperature was inside the unpowered fridge. Normally, if the fridge were not left ajar for visiting pests, most of your contents wold not degrade much if at all for a couple of weeks at 15-25C. Inside a closed fridge, once powered off, the air trapped inside should have a fairly low relative humidity and there would not have a lot of diffusion/exchange with outside ambient air.
Pictures about "Food accidentally left unrefrigerated for up to 10 days -- what needs to be thrown away?"
What food should I throw away?
To dispose of food, start a compost pile and add food scraps to it like fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, and eggshells. Avoid composting meats, dairy, or oils. Instead, dispose of meats and dairy products in the trash, and put used oils in a jar or container that you won't mind throwing away.How long can food sit out before you have to throw it away?
Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 \xb0F and 140 \xb0F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." Never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours.Which foods should be thrown away if they have been left out at room temperature for more than 4 hours?
The four-hour rule According to the FDA and USDA, certain perishable foods that have been kept at a temperature above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours should be thrown out. This includes meat, poultry, fish, soft cheeses, dairy products, eggs, cooked or cut produce, and cooked leftovers.When should you throw out food or ingredients?
Throw it away if it's been out for more than 8 hours. And \u201cout\u201d in this case means a temperature higher than 50 F. The same goes if it's passed the \u201cuse by\u201d date on the jar.. Also, toss it if it's been left outside in warm temperature for 2 hours or more.How long can food be left out?
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