Power's back: what food to keep or toss

Tell the AI how long the power was out and what's in the fridge and freezer; get a keep/toss list based on the FoodSafety.gov charts.

What it does

No bot required. After a storm knocks the power out, the hard question is what's still safe to eat. FoodSafety.gov's charts (from USDA guidance) give the answers: a closed fridge keeps food safe for about 4 hours, a full freezer for about 48 hours (about 24 if it's half full), and freezer food that still has ice crystals or is at 40°F or below can be refrozen. Never taste food to check it, and when in doubt, throw it out. Paste what's in your fridge and freezer into any chat AI and it sorts each item into Keep, Toss or Check using those charts, then makes your replacement grocery list. If you're running a generator, Ready.gov's rule is outdoors only, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages.

Copy-paste prompt

No bot needed: paste this into Grok, ChatGPT, or Claude.

Our power was out. Help me decide what food to keep and what to throw out, using the FoodSafety.gov "Food Safety During Power Outage" charts (based on USDA guidance).

How long the power was out: [e.g. about 7 hours]
Did we keep the fridge and freezer doors closed? [yes / mostly / no]
How full was the freezer? [full / half / nearly empty]
Thermometer readings, if we have them: fridge [__°F], freezer [__°F]
Fridge items: [list]
Freezer items, and whether they still have ice crystals: [list]

1. Start with the basics: a closed fridge keeps food safe about 4 hours; a full freezer about 48 hours (about 24 if half full). Freezer food that still has ice crystals or is at 40°F or below can be refrozen, though quality may suffer.
2. Sort my items into Keep, Toss and Check, naming the chart's food type for each. Refrigerated perishables that sat above 40°F for more than 2 hours go in Toss, as the chart says.
3. If you're not sure about an item, put it in Toss. Never tell me to taste or smell food to decide.
4. For medicines that need to stay cold, don't guess. Tell me to call our pharmacist or doctor.
5. End with a short grocery list to replace what we're tossing, and 3 tips for next time from Ready.gov (keep the doors closed, keep a thermometer in the fridge and freezer, have a cooler and ice ready).

Keep it short and easy to read on a phone.