Safety of vacuum packed smoked salmon in turned off fridge?
I have a piece of cold smoked salmon, vacuum packed, in my fridge. Unfortunately when leaving the house I turned the fridge off accidentally and left the house for 8 days. The house was unheated and the kitchen is on the north side so is unlikely to have got outside the 4-8C range and the fridge was unopened. I shoved a thermometer in when I discovered and it read below 5.
I'm inclined to think in those conditions it should be OK but I'm not sure. It doesn't look or smell any different than before.
Best Answer
If the salmon was actually nonperishable (perhaps refrigeration was needed only for quality), you're of course fine. You'll have to try to figure that out from the packaging or maybe the manufacturer.
If the salmon needed refrigeration for safety... the danger zone is temperatures above 40F/4-5C. Even in a warm house, refrigerators generally are insulated well enough to keep a safe temperature for up to ~4 hours. (Really old refrigerators, or ones with a damaged seal around the door may not do as well.) So if the room cooled down fast enough, the refrigerator would never have gotten into the danger zone. On the other hand, if it stayed at 10-20C for most of a day, the fridge may have gotten too warm for a while. You can try to guess at this based on your knowledge of your house and the weather, but it's hard to say from here. If you think the salmon spent several hours over 5C, and it needed refrigeration for safety, it's no longer safe. If not, it's fine. Take your best guess, and when in doubt throw it out.
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Quick Answer about "Safety of vacuum packed smoked salmon in turned off fridge?"
If the salmon was actually nonperishable (perhaps refrigeration was needed only for quality), you're of course fine. You'll have to try to figure that out from the packaging or maybe the manufacturer. If the salmon needed refrigeration for safety... the danger zone is temperatures above 40F/4-5C.How long can vacuum sealed smoked salmon last unrefrigerated?
HOW LONG WILL SMOKED FISH KEEP WITHOUT BEING REFRIGERATED (DURING TRANSPORT)? It will keep for 2 to 3 days even in warm and hot weather conditions because of the special process it has been submitted to: the salting, smoking and vacuum packing.Does vacuum sealed smoked salmon need to be refrigerated?
If you don't plan to immediately eat the smoked fish you've vacuum-packed, put it in the refrigerator (preferably at 38 degrees F or less) or into the freezer. And, if you don't vacuum-pack your fish, keep it refrigerated to ensure quality and safety.Does vacuum sealed smoked fish need to be refrigerated?
Consequently, smoked fish should be handled, packaged and stored much like fresh fish. It should be kept frozen or under refrigeration just above freezing temperatures.How long does packaged smoked salmon last unrefrigerated?
According to the USDA, smoked salmon lasts unrefrigerated for only two hours, just like pretty much every other perishable food. Because bacteria grow rapidly at room temperatures, it may be dangerous to eat salmon left out for a longer time.Smoked Salmon Recipe - How to Smoke Salmon
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Answer 2
I would say it is impossible to know, so don't risk it. As you were away for 8 days the fridge could have been above 5 degrees for days then cooled a bit before your return.
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