# My fridge door was open all last night, help! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2014, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596 "2014-03-13T07:15:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/1 "2014-03-13T07:15:53Z")
Wide open! Not just a crack. For around 8-10 hours. I think I just didn’t shut it quite all the way and then it swung all the way open ☹ So, is my food okay? I’m sure the fresh produce is fine, and I should probably toss the cheese and yogurt. But I’m not sure about stuff like opened jars of chopped garlic, basil, and oregano. I would hate to replace all that stuff. And will this make a noticeable difference in my next electric bill? I mean, it’s obviously not going to be hundreds of dollars or anything, so I’m not terribly worried about it, but I’m just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/2 "2014-03-13T07:56:06Z")
You keep herbs in your fridge? Why? They don’t need it. I wouldn’t toss the cheese and yoghurt, but then I only like very mature cheeses; the softer kinds are more likely to grow Stuff if left out. Yoghurt should have only one type of bug in it and will have it whether the yoghurt has been above 4ºC or not. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/3 "2014-03-13T08:30:20Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > You keep herbs in your fridge? Why? They don’t need it. > > I wouldn’t toss the cheese and yoghurt, but then I only like very mature cheeses; the softer kinds are more likely to grow Stuff if left out. Yoghurt should have only one type of bug in it and will have it whether the yoghurt has been above 4ºC or not. I’m not talking about fresh herbs and gourmet cheese and yogurt. I mean jarred chopped herbs packed in oil and commercial yogurt and cheese. What can I say, I’m not a foodie 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/4 "2014-03-13T13:26:15Z")
Shut the door and count yourself lucky it wasn’t the freezer you left open all night? I wouldn’t throw any of it out, leave it to cool down again and see what it’s like. If anything looks/smells off when you come to use it, then don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/5 "2014-03-13T14:31:25Z")
How cool was the stuff when you found it this morning? I’d expect the fridge to try to keep things cold, but probably couldn’t keep up with the heat coming in from the outside. The classic advice is When in doubt, Throw it out. If you can afford it, I wouldn’t suggest taking chances. Food poisoning can be nasty. If cost is more of a concern…then I don’t have much good advice. I wonder if there’s a concern about cross contamination from something that needs to be thrown out. Could a normally ‘safe’ item now not be safe because it was next to something that spoiled? Or is one night not enough to cause a concern there? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/6 "2014-03-13T15:02:34Z")
Anything preserved, like your herbs or grape jelly, or ketchup, I would assume are fine. Aged cheese is probably fine. Butter is fine, I’d ditch the yogurt and milk. Meats are right out, unless it’s salami, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/7 "2014-03-13T15:11:34Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > And will this make a noticeable difference in my next electric bill? I mean, it’s obviously not going to be hundreds of dollars or anything, so I’m not terribly worried about it, but I’m just curious. Assuming you don’t have some crazy commercial fridge running at 220V or something, it’s on a 20 Amp circuit (at most). If it’s pulling the entire 20 A when the compressor is running (which it isn’t), 20 A \* 110 V \* 10 hours /1000 = 22 kWh. According to the [government](http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_5_6_a) you’re paying 10-20 cents per kWh, depending where you live. So the absolute maximum is somewhere between $2.20 and $4.40. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/8 "2014-03-13T15:20:59Z")
> [@scareyfaerie](#): > > Shut the door and count yourself lucky it wasn’t the freezer you left open all night? Yes, I’m so glad it wasn’t the freezer! > [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > How cool was the stuff when you found it this morning? I’d expect the fridge to try to keep things cold, but probably couldn’t keep up with the heat coming in from the outside. It wasn’t very cold at all. I didn’t feel around too much though, I just shut the door, threw up my hands in despair, and went back to bed. > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Anything preserved, like your herbs or grape jelly, or ketchup, I would assume are fine. Aged cheese is probably fine. Butter is fine, I’d ditch the yogurt and milk. > > Meats are right out, unless it’s salami, maybe. I don’t have any milk or meat, and I think the yogurt was on its way out anyway so I’ll definitely throw that out, but I have a few bags of shredded cheese…I wonder if those are okay. I want a quesadilla. > [@muldoonthief](#): > > Assuming you don’t have some crazy commercial fridge running at 220V or something, it’s on a 20 Amp circuit (at most). If it’s pulling the entire 20 A when the compressor is running (which it isn’t), 20 A \* 110 V \* 10 hours /1000 = 22 kWh. According to the [government](http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_5_6_a) you’re paying 10-20 cents per kWh, depending where you live. So the absolute maximum is somewhere between $2.20 and $4.40. Okay, thanks! No big deal then. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/9 "2014-03-13T15:23:54Z")
The biggest danger of leaving the fridge door open, aside from food spoilage, is potentially burning out the compressor motor. You may have shortened the fridge’s lifespan by a month or two, but as long as it’s still working, no need to worry about it. The last time I accidentally left my own fridge door open (only a crack, but that was enough to let all the cold air escape) the only thing spoiled was milk & some other perishables which were well past the expiration date anyway. The beer was warm, but that was easily fixed by evening. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/10 "2014-03-13T15:39:29Z")
As long as the cheese isn’t fuzzy or smelly when it’s not supposed to smell, go ahead and eat it. I would probably inspect the cheese, then put it at the top of the menu, it will probably go bad faster than normal, so eat it soon. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/11 "2014-03-13T16:04:45Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Assuming you don’t have some crazy commercial fridge running at 220V or something, it’s on a 20 Amp circuit (at most). If it’s pulling the entire 20 A when the compressor is running (which it isn’t), 20 A \* 110 V \* 10 hours /1000 = 22 kWh. According to the [government](http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_5_6_a) you’re paying 10-20 cents per kWh, depending where you live. So the absolute maximum is somewhere between $2.20 and $4.40. The Dope is fucking awesome sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/12 "2014-03-13T16:10:18Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > As long as the cheese isn’t fuzzy or smelly when it’s not supposed to smell, go ahead and eat it. I would probably inspect the cheese, then put it at the top of the menu, it will probably go bad faster than normal, so eat it soon. It may also taste a bit sharper. At least, that’s happened when I’ve left the cheese out before. Incidentally, any mayonnaise is probably okay, too. The store-bought kind is pretty well preserved, despite what your mom may have told you. It won’t last as long, but it would be okay for a while. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/13 "2014-03-13T16:20:26Z")
You do realize that cheese is how the pre-refrigeration folks preserved the proteins in milk, right? Other than something like cream cheese can more or less be safely left out on the counter for up to about 3 days for something like shredded and months to years for uncut waxed cheeses like gouda, or mold shell cheeses like brie? And one makes yogurt by infecting milk with bacteria and leaving it to sit in room temp to a few degrees above room temp for about 30 hours? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/14 "2014-03-13T17:30:26Z")
Bet you feel bad now about hanging up on that kid who called to ask if your refrigerator was running… 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/15 "2014-03-13T17:48:06Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > I’m not talking about fresh herb… I mean jarred chopped herbs packed in oil Still need to be kept in the fridge like I need a second pair of tits. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/16 "2014-03-13T18:56:52Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Still need to be kept in the fridge like I need a second pair of tits. Now it’s just a matter of finding out to what extent you need a second pair of tits! ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/17 "2014-03-13T19:05:05Z")
If you keep your tits well-oiled, they don’t need to be refrigerated. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/18 "2014-03-13T19:15:16Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > As long as the cheese isn’t fuzzy or smelly when it’s not supposed to smell, go ahead and eat it. I would probably inspect the cheese, then put it at the top of the menu, it will probably go bad faster than normal, so eat it soon. I second this. And I’d be making that quesadilla tonite. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/19 "2014-03-14T02:57:27Z")
Store-bought mayonnaise doesn’t even need to be refrigerated. The only thing I’d replace is the milk. Cheese and yogurt are preserved. I wouldn’t worry about the other stuff at all. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-fridge-door-was-open-all-last-night-help/683596/20 "2014-03-14T03:33:44Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > I’m not talking about fresh herb… Fresh herb should be stored in the freezer, not the fridge, if you want it to last a long time. Won’t remain soft & green, but it won’t dry out nearly as quickly. …oh you mean _those_ kind of herbs. In which case, can’t help ya there, sorry.