When you lose power for an extended period of time, one of your first concerns is always the food in your refrigerator and freezer. How long will it keep? Remember 4-24-48 to make sure your food stays safe.

4: A refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours—if it is unopened. The more frequently you open it, the less time you have.

24: A half-full freezer will hold its temperature for about 24 hours—again, if it is unopened.

48: A full freezer will hold its temperature for about 48 hours—unopened.

For refrigerators, think about transferring food to a cooler, or using dry or block ice to keep your fridge cold for extended periods during an outage. Use a thermometer to make sure meat, poultry, fish, and eggs are always at or below 40ºF.

For freezers, consider using dry ice to keep your freezer items cold. If you can find it, you’ll need about 50 pounds of dry ice to hold an 18-cubic-foot full freezer for 2 days. If you store a lot in your freezer, you may want to look into places to buy dry ice before you’re in an emergency situation. Frozen food should always be kept at or below 0ºF.

If you’re unsure about the temperature of your food, throw it out—don’t take a risk.

If your food is safe, but your power still isn’t on and you know you’re going to lose it, then simply make the best of things by firing up your grill and treating your family and your neighbors to a smorgasbord.