Still without power? Here is what you should keep, throw out in your refrigerator

MIAMI VALLEY — Thousands are still without power in the Miami Valley, and some food in your refrigerator could be dangerous if eaten.

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Before you throw out everything in your fridge, the Center for Disease Control and our news partners at WCPO offer these tips:

• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors shut, if you limit the number of times that cold air escapes the fridge, you’ll probably be able to keep it longer
• Your food in the refrigerator is more at risk of spoiling than freezer food
• Perishable food in the fridge like milk, eggs, uncooked meats, and cooked vegetables will be safe for 4-6 hours, according to the CDC
• Never taste food to determine its safety
• The Cincinnati Health Department says that you should worry once perishable foods have been kept at 41 degrees or warmer; 41 to 140 degrees is the “danger zone” for thawed, perishable foods
• Frozen foods, however, can stay safe for up to 48 hours in a closed, full freezer (a half-full freezer will keep food safe for 24 hours), according to the CDC, if the foods contain ice crystals, they can be refrozen or cooked
• The health department suggests adding “bags of ice or dry ice to the freezer if it appears the power will be off for an extended time”
• If the color, odor or texture of a food is suspect, throw it out or as the CDC states “When in doubt, throw it out”
• Some foods may be sub-par after being stored at room temperature, but they will not be dangerous to eat — butter or margarine, cheeses, condiments (excluding mayonnaise), vinegar-based salad dressings, fresh, uncut fruits, raw vegetables, pastries and fruit juices all fall into this category

If you are still without power, you can contact AES Ohio at 877-468-8243, Duke Energy to report your outage at 800-543-5599 or Ohio Edison 888-544-4877.

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