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To my heart’s content, many of my friends and clients recently started ordering less food from restaurants and cooking more frequently at home. Some got back into the kitchen for environmental reasons (less trash from plastic take away containers) and other prefer to know what exactly goes in their meal. Whatever is the rationale behind the switch, this trend makes me very happy!
But with more cooking happening in kitchens, more food safety question may arise. Here are my answers to some of them I have received recently.
Cleaning and cooking:
- Always separate raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs from other foods and wash with soap surfaces and utensils they touch.
- Rinsing fish, chicken or meat before cooking is not necessary and may contaminate the sink.
- Rinsing veggies and fruit, on the other hand, helps to wash off the pesticide residue and pathogens such as salmonella. If you plan to peel the fruit after cutting it, like melon, always make sure to wash it first, otherwise the bacteria will travel from the skin straight inside the fruit via your knife.
- Buy a kitchen thermometer and cook ground beef to at least 160F, a steak and pork to to 145F and chicken or turkey to 165F.
- Your dishwashing sponge will be the brimming with bacteria unless you wash it in the dishwasher or microwave it for 1 minute daily.
Storing leftovers in the refrigerator:
- Divide the food between shallow containers and let it cool slightly. it does not have to be completely cold before hitting the fridge. Bacteria doubles at room temperature every 20 minutes, so it is very important to put the food away into a cold place as soon as possible.
- Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and are perfectly safe for babies and older kids if stored and reheated correctly.
- In order to reheat them safely take out the amount you need and heat it until piping hot or at least 165F.
Storing leftovers in the freezer:
- Make sure to label the containers with the date.
- When thawing the food, do it in the refrigerator, not on kitchen counter, in order to slow down growth of pathogens and prevent food poisoning.
- Food can be reheated only once.
For how long can food be safely stored?
Fresh Food Refrigerator Freezer
- Beef, roasts, steak 3-5 days 4-9 months
- Pork roasts 3-5 days 4-8 months
- Pork chops 3-5 days 3-4 months
- Ground meat 1-2 days 3-4 months
- Leftover cooked meats 3-4 days 2-3 months
- Fresh poultry 1-2 days 4-6 months
- Cooked poultry 3-4 days 4-6 months
- Fish 1-2 days 2-3 months
- Deli meats 3-5 days 1-2 months (airtight)
- Hotdogs (opened) 7 days 1-2 months (airtight)
- Bacon 7 days 9 months
- Milk 7 days 3 months
- Eggs 2-5 weeks not recommended
- Processed/hard cheese 2-3 weeks 6 months (airtight)
- Berries 1-2 days (fresh) 8-12 months
- Fruit (citrus, apples) 1-3 weeks (fresh) 8-12 months
- Vegetables 3-7 days (fresh) 8-12 months (frozen)
Dry Good Food Dry Storage
- Flour 6-8 months
- Cereals (unopened) 6-12 months
- Mayonnaise (unopened) 2-3 months
- Salad oil (unopened) 6 months
- Pasta 24 months
- Cake and muffin mixes 9 months
- Spices and herbs 6 months
- Berries 6 months dried; 12 months canned
- Canned fruit 9 months
- Vegetables 1 month dehydrated; 12 months canned
For more information, check www.foodsafety.gov