Which foods to save and which to ditch when your cottage fridge conks out

Good food hygiene says that many fridge foods are safe for only two hours above 4°C. Exceptions? Firm fruits and veggies, lots of condiments, oil-based dressings, jams, and fruit juices. Salvage.

Meat, fish, and combination foods (lasagnas, curries) are among those most likely to make you sick. During a power outage, it's worth moving them into the freezer, says Jeffrey Farber, the director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety. If they're already frozen, and they thaw, refreezing is okay only if they still contain ice crystals or feel "refrigerator cold." If not, you're ditched, Tuna Noodle Surprise.

You can freeze fully thawed waffles and pancakes. And bread, cookies, and fruit pies. But it all might not taste as good the second time around. Still, salvage. It's pie.

Chopped fruits and veggies don't last as long as whole ones. "You've created more surface area for micro-organisms," says Farber. So long bagged salad. Ditch!

Hard cheeses aren't like other dairy products. "Counterintuitively, pathogens die off faster in certain cheeses at room temperature than when kept in the fridge," says food scientist Mansel Griffiths. Cheddar? Swiss? Parmesan? Salvage.

If you show up at the cottage, and the fridge isn't cold, there's really no way to judge the safety of the food inside, says Griffiths. "The old adage 'If in doubt, throw it out' definitely applies here."