Refrigerator safety - what foods MUST be at 40 F?

[csziggy]

The compressor on our two year old refrigerator is not working properly and it is not getting below about 50 F. We had the repair guy out yesterday. The bad news is that the compressor has to be replaced; the good news is that it is under warranty so we won't have to pay for it; the bad news is that it will take a week to get the new compressor in. The really good news is that we have an all fridge/all freezer pair so the freezer is OK and we won't lose everything in it.

We have a little "dorm" fridge that we have brought over from the barn. I'm keeping milk, eggs, dinner leftovers, etc in it - the really critical stuff. But what about condiments - I am throwing out the mayo and Miracle Whip, but do I need to throw out the catsup, mustard, Worcestershire, soy, BBQ and other sauces? How about jams and jellies? Pickles?

Ironically just the other week here on DU when another member's freezer went bad, I had found fridge freezer alarms that were not very expensive. I wish I had bought some for ours! That is at the top of my list for ordering!

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Your condiments should be fine in the fridge. Soy sauce doesn't need refrigeration, anyway.

And unless your fridge went bad for a day or more and got to room temperature inside, there's no need to throw the mayo. Just pop it into the dorm fridge.

Jams and jellies should be okay, pickles will be fine (esp. if the liquid is over the tops of the pickles).

You'll be fine.

* I know your bottle of soy sauce probably says that it DOES need refrigeration, but it doesn't. It has so much salt and it's fermented that there's no fear of spoilage. And cold soy sauce doesn't taste as good.

[csziggy]

4. I mostly keep soy in the cool box to keep it with the other condiments

When we use it, I've usually used it in cooking, so I leave the bottle out until after dinner.

The fridge went to 60 F Wednesday night and has not gotten below 50 F since. The bottle of mayo is old anyway since I have almost stopped using it, so I think I will be safer to toss it. Same with the Miracle Whip, though I know it should be safer than the mayo.

Thanks!

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. Yeah, I'd toss the mayo in that case.

Good luck!

[nuxvomica]

2. I would keep the mustard and the Worcestershire sauce

They both have a high vinegar content. I'm not sure about catsup cuz I don't use it.

[Swede]

3. Ketchup and mustard and other condiments should be fine.

"when in doubt,throw it out" as the old saying goes.

[csziggy]

6. Yes, if I am concerned at all about anything in the fridge, it will go out.

I think I will be OK, just can't cook very much at a time since the little fridge is tiny and some of the shelves are broken - if I do cook much, I need to freeze most of it. In a pinch, we still have the fridge in the old house, but I don't want to have to lug stuff over there and back. If it had not already been so long, I might have taken the mayo and a few other things over but they will have to just be thrown out.

Thanks!

[HopeHoops]

5. The smell test and visual test are good starting points.

Jams, jellies and pickles should be fine. Leftovers are probably not worth the risk. Spicing makes it difficult to determine safety. Other than mayo, condiments should be fine. Most say to keep them refrigerated, but some people keep them out all the time. The bottles on the restaurant tables are out there all day - mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce, hot sauce, steak sauce, etc.

[csziggy]

9. Good! We had actually used up all the current leftovers

That had been in the fridge, so that timing was great. I did cook a sort of chicken stew crockpot yesterday, but those leftovers are in the little fridge and I will freeze most of them today. Thank goodness that the freezer is separate and doesn't have any problems!

The only other things left in the big fridge are cheese and veggies, both of which should be fine. The big fridge is running at 50 F when it is not opened. We might lose some of the older opened jar items that could have been getting close to expiration anyway. As soon as the big fridge is fixed, we'll clean it out and toss dubious stuff. I do that about once a year anyway.

Yesterday was a good news/bad news day. In the morning I went to my new dentist and was informed I needed a root canal ASAP and that maybe he could not save the tooth. So we went over the various options (crown {if it could be saved}, bridge, implant, partial bridge, etc.) and what they would cost. I made an appointment for the root canal and told them if they had a cancellation to call. After lunch they called - they had an opening! So I left hubby with the fridge repair guy and went in. Good news - we can save the tooth. Bad news - I have to get another procedure to allow putting a crown on. Good news - this is still the cheapest alternative of all the scenarios the dentist gave me.

I'm getting too old for this much excitement!

[Gormy Cuss]

7. Worcestershire and soy are fine.

The catsup, mustard, BBQ and other sauces: look on the jar for guidance. Most vinegar-based,non dairy items should be okay held @ 50 degrees but don't leave them on the door ---move them to the back where it's colder. Jams and jellies, again probably fine if you move them away from the door but use them up quickly because they may degrade.

You can also help out that compressor by buying bags or blocks of ice and adding them to the refrigerator compartment (in deep pans or containers to catch seepage.)


Here's a link to a food storage chart for condiments. Note that when it says refrigeration will make it last longer that's a good hint that it will be fine for a week at 50 degrees.

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn579-2.htm#Spices

[csziggy]

10. Hubby's job throws away cold packs that come in some of their items

And he has been bringing some of them home. So we had a stack in the freezer that are now being cycled into the refrigerator periodically. They are helping the compressor out enough to lower the temps down some.

Thanks for the chart - it looks like I was on the money for what to keep/throw out.