Keep the butter, toss the eggs: What to keep, throw away if you lose power

During severe weather, millions of people can lose power and thousands of pounds of food can spoil.

Even if you follow the golden rules of keeping your food safe, like keeping your refrigerator door closed and placing your perishable items in the freezer, some foods simply may not be worth saving after a power outage of 24 hours or more.

If you’re going through your fridge over the next few days, we’ve got you covered.

Here’s a list of what food you can keep and what should be thrown out after a power outage:

Tip: Discard any perishable food, including meat, poultry and seafood, that has been above 40 degrees F for more than 2 hours.

What to throw out:

Eggs

Cheese

Yogurt

Sour cream

Cut fruit

Condiments

Biscuits

What to keep:

Butter

Margarine

Fruit juice

Canned fruits

Whole fruits

Jams

Pickles

Vinegar-based dressings

Soy sauce

Mustard

Olives

Ketchup

Bread

Muffins

Tortillas

Waffles

Pancakes

Raw vegetables

Fruit pies

Herbs

Read more about food safety here.

Cox Media Group