Archive for the ‘Food Storage’ Category

Safe food storage is essential for ensuring the quality of the food in your pantry, cabinets and refrigerator remain fresh and fit for human consumption. The shelf-life of food will depend upon the food itself, packaging, temperature, and humidity.

Food such as canned food that is stored in cabinets should be kept in the coolest pantry you have. Ideally the cabinet will be far enough away from appliances that produce heat. These days just about all packaged goods come with a use by date on the package that you can use to ensure that it still falls under the best use period. If you have bought a product that doesn’t have a date on the package put the date that you bought it on it so that you will use that one first. When buying canned food steer clear of badly dented or bulging cans.

Food that is stored in the refrigerator should be stored at a temperature that falls between 34 to 40°F (1 to 3°C). Food that is stored above this temperature can spoil quickly. Generally, the temperature within a refrigerator is fairly uniform. If you are looking for the coldest area outside of the freezer you would use the chill tray that may be located directly beneath the freezer section.

The warmest part of a refrigerator will usually be the bottom of the cabinet. Food storage used at the bottom will be in a temperature that may be a couple of degrees warmer than at the top of the refrigerator. Air circulating throughout the refrigerator will quickly dry out any uncovered or unwrapped food. The effective food storage time that can be achieved in the refrigerator will be affected by the number of times the door is opened and closed, particularly on warm days.

It is still necessary to use food stored in the refrigerator quickly after they have been placed there. Generally, leftovers should be discarded after 48 hours in the refrigerator.

Food stored in the freezer will keep longer than in any other part of the home and the best temperature to store frozen food is at 0°F (-17°C). If your freezer has trouble freezing ice cream it is obvious that there is something wrong or the temperature has been set too high.

Storing food in the freezer allows you to keep food for extended periods. Although the food can be stored safely for a long time, the food’s flavor and texture can deteriorate if left too long. For the best results with the freezer, try to keep it on the full side.

When buying frozen food, try to save picking them up and putting them in your shopping trolley until last before heading to the checkout. Also, ensure that the food you are buying is actually frozen solid ensuring the quality is as high as possible. Put the bought food into the freezer as soon as you can after arriving home.

So that you are more likely to consume the food in your refrigerator or pantry before it passes the expiration date, stock the shelves so that the most recently purchased items are at the back behind the older items.

For safety, always store food separate from nonfood items such as paper products, household cleaners, and insecticides. Contamination of food or eating utensils with a household cleaner or insecticide could result in a chemical poisoning.

In the fight against bacteria in the food preparation area, there are 4 Steps to Food Safety that should be followed. By adhering to these guidelines and following the advice you will ensure that the food hygiene in your house will be kept at a maximum.

The 4 C’s are:

Clean
Cook
Combat Cross Contamination (also known as Separation)
Chill

Bacteria can exist in all food that we buy and this bacteria may be harmful to our health, carrying food-borne disease. After making it’s journey from the farm to the proecessing plant and to the store, you take possession of the food and it is then your responsibility to fight bacteria. The 4 C’s are the tools you use to ensure your food is healthy.

Clean

Before preparing food you must always clean your hands thoroughly, which should go without saying but is surprisingly often overlooked. Providing hand-washing soap and towels at every sink in the house will make this an easy task to perform that will soon become a habit. Not only should you wash your hands before food handling but you should also wash your hands after preparing food.

Rinse fruit and vegetables before preparing to cook them to remove surface dirt as well as any pesticides and herbicides that may have been used while growing. Also, remove bruised or damaged parts of the produce because it’s in these areas that bacteria can thrive.

Ensure food preparation surfaces are clean before using them and then clean them immediately after cooking. Paper towels are the best option for cleaning kitchen surfaces because you can throw the germs away with the towel. If you do use cloth towels to clean up make sure you use a separate towel to dry your hands to the towel you use to clean up food stains such as raw meat, poultry or seafood juices. Wash cutting boards, utensils and countertops with hot soapy water after preparing each meal and before going on to the next food item.

When cutting boards become worn they should be replaced because bacteria can grow in the grooves and cracks that are scored into surfaces.

Spills in the refrigerator should be wiped up immediately and use by dates of perishable food should be checked each week and old food thrown away.

Cook

Cooking serves a purpose other than to make the food more palatable for consumption - it kills the harmful bacteria that may be living in the food. Food must be cooked so that it is heated for a long enough time and at a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria. The temperature required to cook different foods changes from food to food.

Following these food safety precautions will ensure you properly cook your food.

It’s not enough to simply go by the color of the food you’re cooking to gauge whether it is cooked properly. The surest way to determine that meats, casseroles and poultry are properly cooked all the way through is to use a clean food thermometer.

When cooking roasts and steaks the internal temperature of the food should reach at least 145° F (63° C). Poultry should reach a minimum internal temperature of 165° F (74° C).

Cook seafood until it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm.

Reheat leftovers to a temperature of 165° F (74° C). When reheating sauces, make sure you bring them to the boil.

Combat Cross Contamination

 Allowing different food types to come into contact with one another can set the stage for cross-contamination. Improper handling of raw meat, poultry and seafood can result in bacteria being spread to food throughout the kitchen.

The following rules should be followed to avoid cross-contamination:

When storing food such as raw meat, poultry and seafood either in the grocery store shopping cart or in the kitchen always make sure it is separated.

Use separate cutting boards for each food type, one for raw meat and another for fresh produce.

Always wash hands, cutting boards and utensils after they come in contact with food.

Always ensure food is placed on a clean plate. If food is placed on an unwashed plate that previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood bacteria from the raw food can contaminate the cooked food.

Make sure that raw food is stored in sealed containers to prevent juices from dripping on to other foods.

Don’t use sauces that were used to marinate raw meat on cooked foods unless it is boiled first. Similarly, don’t taste marinade that was used on raw meat, poultry or seafood.

Chill

Storage of perishable food should be done in the refrigerator to stop harmful bacteria from breeding. Bacteria grows at certain temperatures and cold temperatures stops them from multiplying.

Refrigerate food immediately after cooking if not eating it straight away. Putting hot food into the refrigerator will not harm the refrigerator and will keep your food safer than letting it cool on the kitchen bench.

The thermostat on the refrigerator should be set no higher than 40° F (4° C) and the freezer should be set at 0° F (-18° C).

Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food and leftovers within 2 hours.

Divide and store leftovers in shallow containers so that they cool quickly in the refrigerator.

An over-packed refrigerator reduces the flow of cold air so try not to cram too much in at any one time.

When going on picnics or barbecues, use a cooler with ice packs or ice to keep perishable foods cold. Also, if the cooler is filled it will remain colder for longer than a partially filled cooler.

When thawing food, never do so at room temperature. It’s best to thaw food in the refrigerator. An alternative to the refrigerator is to thaw food by immersing it in cold water. The water should be changed every half hour to ensure it is kept cold.

It is possible to thaw food in the microwave but if you do you should cook the food immediately after it’s thawed.

There are four rules to follow to ensure food safety standards are being met in your home and they are repeated here over and over because repitition works. The four areas are: Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill. This particular article will deal a little with Chill because we are going to follow some tips for storing food safely. This may involve the refrigerator, but our examination will also move into shelf storage too.

One of the big areas where bacteria can grow and become dangerously prevalent is while storing food. Food storage can be broken down into three categories: Perishable Food; Frozen Food and Shelf Stable Food.

Refrigerated Perishable Food

Perishable food should always be refrigerated within 2 hours of purchase. Different types of foods will have a different set of basin guidelines to follow.

Raw Meat, Poultry, and Seafood: Place in containers or sealed plastic bags to prevent their juices from dripping onto other food in the refrigerator. This could cause cross-contamination. If you’re not planning to use the food within a day or two, freeze it.

Cooked Poultry: These guidelines apply to all kinds of poultry such as chicken and turkey. Cut the meat into small pieces. Refrigerate stuffing, bird, and gravy separately in shallow containers within 2 hours of cooking (or 1 hour in temperatures above 90 °F). If left out longer, discard. Use leftover poultry, stuffing, and gravy within 3 to 4 days; or freeze these foods. Use frozen leftovers within 2 to 6 months for best quality.

Eggs: Store in the original carton and place in the main compartment of the refrigerator — not in the door. When ready to use, do not wash them.

Produce: Store perishable produce in the refrigerator. Throw away fresh fruits and vegetables that have not been refrigerated within 2 hours of cutting, peeling, or cooking. If any fruit or vegetable has touched raw meat, poultry, or seafood and will not be cooked immediately, do not eat it. Throw it away.

Leftovers: Refrigerate (or freeze) leftovers within 2 hours in clean, shallow, covered containers to prevent harmful bacteria from multiplying.

Frozen Food

For long-term storage of perishable foods the freezer is the best option. Food that is stored at 0°F or below will be safe. There are a few things to remember when freezing perishable food.

Refreezing Thawed Food: If food is thawed in the refrigerator it is safe to refreeze it without cooking. The only problem you will get in this case is the quality of the food may be reduced because of moisture loss through the derfrosting process.

Freezing Cooked Food: After cooking raw food that was previously frozen it is safe to freeze the cooked food. If previously cooked food were frozen and then defrosted in the refrigerator it is safe to refreeze the unused portion.

Shelf Stored Food

Food that doesn’t need to be refrigerated or frozen still must be stored with care. There are some food storage guidelines for these types of food too.

Where: Store canned food and other shelf-stable products in a cool, clean, dry place. Never put them above the stove, under the sink, in a damp garage or basement, or any place exposed to high or low temperature extremes.

How Long: In general, you can store high-acid food such as tomatoes and other fruit for 12 to 18 months; low-acid food such as meat and vegetables, 2 to 5 years.

Care and Cautions for Cans: Discard cans that are dented, leaking, bulging, or rusted. Can linings might discolor or corrode when metal reacts with high-acid food such as tomatoes or pineapple — but as long as the outside of the can is in good shape, the contents should be safe to eat. Keep in mind, though, that the taste, texture, and nutritional value of the food can diminish over time.