Angela K. Daniels, RD, LDN (registered dietitian)
It is late in the evening with no time to cook and you have not eaten supper. As you gaze at your leftovers in the refrigerator, you wonder if they are still okay to eat. Your concern of getting a foodborne illness is warranted as far too often good food goes bad before you get the chance to eat it. How you handle food matters. With improper food temperatures, moisture, and nutrients, one bacterium can multiply every half hour to produce more than 17 million progeny in 12 hours.
Storing food in the refrigerator or freezer stops most bacteria from growing. Some exceptions to the rule are Listeria (which is most commonly found in lunch meats, hot dogs, and unpasteurized soft cheese) and Yersinia enterocolitica (found in undercooked pork and unpasteurized milk) which grow at refrigerator temperatures.
RULES for LEFTOVERS: 2 Hours — 2 Inches — 4 Days
2 hours from oven to refrigerator. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours of cooking. Otherwise throw them away.
2 Inches thick to cool it quick. Store food at a shallow depth, about two inches, to speed chilling.
4 Days in the refrigerator, otherwise freeze it! Use leftovers from the refrigerator within four days, except for seafood, stuffing, and gravies within two days. Reheat solid leftovers to an internal temperature of 165 degrees and liquid leftovers to a rolling boil.
To reduce waste, date all frozen items, and use the FIFO (first in, first out) rule. And if you have any doubt if the food is safe to eat, throw it out. The misery of a foodborne illness does not always end with the gastrointestinal symptoms subsiding. For some people, that is just the start of years of suffering.
March is national Nutrition Month. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages everyone to “Go Further with Food” by storing food correctly to reduce waste and lower your grocery bill. Americans throw away nearly 28 percent of fruits and vegetables along with 31 percent of edible food in the US. As part of National Nutrition Month, the Academy’s website (www.eatright.org) provides articles, recipes and videos on food safety and good nutrition. Bon Appetit!
Sources: US Department of Agriculture, US Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All content within presentation sponsored by the Living Well at Robson Ranch Committee is intended for general information only. It should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of a professional health care provider. Neither the Living Well at Robson Ranch Committee, Robson Ranch Denton HOA, nor Robson Communities is responsible or liable for the content and do not endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised in any presentation.