Refrigerator door stayed open all day now at 48°

Martini will be in here shortly to tell you there's no need to refrigerate your food period.


Honestly >99% chance you're fine. 48deg F is still low enough to retard bacteria growth slowly, especially since it was probably only above that for a few hours.








Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor food scientist and I am not liable for any food poisoning or related illnesses you may incur.

Yea I think most will be ok but I have raw chicken salmon and other things in it and the door has been cracked for 9hrs. Took some temps now. Eggs at the top at 62. Bottle of ranch was swollen. Chicken at 48. Cheese in the drawer still in the 30s. Milk at 43. I’ll probably toss some of the raw things. Probably ok but I don’t feel like having the fois with the family for the rest of the week

Cold air was still flowing, it just didn’t stay cold enough due to the crack. More than likely, everything is ok if we are assuming the temperature was 48 degrees for 9 hours. Uncooked meat and seafood are the most at risk items.

Considering that I have no underlying health issues (infant, pregnant, elderly, autoimmune disease), I would feel comfortable eating everything.

But the best advice is “when in doubt, throw it out.” It’s your call.

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Took some temps now. Eggs at the top at 62. Bottle of ranch was swollen. Chicken at 48. Cheese in the drawer still in the 30s. Milk at 43. I’ll probably toss some of the raw things. Probably ok but I don’t feel like having the fois with the family for the rest of the week

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Eggs at the top at 62
If you are using the eggs for baked or cooked products, or if you are fully cooking them for immediate consumption, then they are fine. I leave eggs out overnight when using them in recipes all the time. Now I wouldn't go soft boiling or cooking them sunny side up, but I would eat them in an omelet or scramble.

Chicken at 48
Only 7°F above the safe storage temp. I would give it a smell and if odorless (spoilage bacteria have malodorous aromas) I would marinate them in a 2% salt and 3% acidic solution & cook the heck out of it to be safe. OR just throw it out to be even safer.

Milk at 43
Milk can be received at 45°F as long as it is cooled to 41°F or lower within 4 hours. I 'd say you're ok to keep and drink this. As long as the container wasn't bulging and there were no off odors. Just cool it down to a safe temperature as soon as possible.

I didn't mention the cheese because of the obvious.

If you plan on cooking the food that got to 48, I wouldn't worry about it at all. And I'm sure the eggs are fine.

My son killed a pig earlier this month at sundown and we didn't feel like cleaning it, so we left it hanging overnight and the temp dropped to 43. We cleaned it first thing in the morning and gave it to a guy at work. He said the meat is very good.

Yours doesn't beep? My refrigerator lets out an unholy alarm if I leave it open more than 2 minutes.

Maybe LOL. I was thawing chicken before work and tossed it in before walking out the door for 9hrs. Could have beeped it’s arse off all day.

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I'd be more worried about the cost of a compressor replacement than a 2 dollar carton of eggs.

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Facts...but I think that part is ok.