by Kevin Burton
I hate wasting food, and I’ve been known to stretch the plausible life of leftovers into a danger zone.
I famously told my then girlfriend Jeannette that there was middle-aged food in my fridge that I would eat, but not serve to her.
That was the place where chivalry met the stretching of my grocery dollar. It must have worked out right, because neither of us got food poisoning, and we eventually got married.
So now comes a message from our friends at Dictionary Scoop that has me questioning my food-safety strategies. They are offering ten tips for the safe, proper care of leftovers. We’ll walk through them today and tomorrow, with an eye toward possible changes of policy:
1–Eggs
In the United States, supermarkets keep eggs in the refrigerator, but did you know that in most countries, you can find them right on the shelves, next to snacks or cans of beans?
The truth is, eggs should be kept refrigerated to extend their shelf life as long as possible.
This standard practice must be replicated at home. You should always preserve your eggs in the fridge and, ideally, in a closed container to prevent other foods from being contaminated by bacteria. Can eggs be left out on the counter? Yes, but they will last a lot less and can eventually be dangerous.
KB’s take: Twice this year after egg prices soared into the stratosphere, the Burtons purchased eggs from an undisclosed source not associated with Kroger. This person told us that fresh eggs could safely be stored on the counter for up to a month.
We did do that, but looking back, I don’t know why, since refrigerating them makes them last longer.
2–Chicken
Do you know how to tell if a chicken is safe enough to eat? Make sure the meat has a firm texture, no unpleasant odor, bright color, and no secretions. If you see a soft, sticky film or a greenish color, it should be discarded immediately.
If the piece meets the above requirements but you still think you should give it a wash before cooking, think again. It sounds counterintuitive, but believe us, if you wash a chicken, you are not getting rid of bacteria; on the contrary. When you clean it in the sink, the water splashes will infect everything around it, causing cross-contamination.
If you think it’s dirty, it is best to wipe it with a damp paper napkin. Also, always use a cutting board exclusively reserved for chicken meat.
KB’s take: I often ask Jeannette to prepare chicken on the stovetop, lightly fried in extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil. She has a mysterious magic wand that she waves over the chicken to tell her when it has been heated sufficiently and is finished. This magic wand (which she calls a thermometer), beeps when the desired temperature has been reached. This turns out great!
When I make the chicken it is marinated in Old El Paso taco seasoning. I cut into one of the chicken pieces to see what color it is to determine whether is it is cooked well enough. This turns out OK.
The leftovers usually don’t last long enough to even question whether they are still good.
3–Dairy
Dairy products are the most sensitive to temperature changes and should always be handled with care. They must be kept in the fridge for a maximum of three days before consumption. Also, respect the expiration date and follow the instructions indicated on the package.
When cooking, avoid exposing dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, and butter to room temperature for more than 15 minutes.
KB’s take: Do you do the smell test for milk? Sure you do. Everybody does. But maybe that’s not good enough?
Did you catch that “maximum three days” bit? We keep dairy products around way longer than that. We could pay better attention to the age of our milk, but I don’t plan to meet that three-days standard. That’s a little much.
I do have the margarine, milk and shredded cheese on the counter for a bit when I am making Kraft macaroni and cheese from that glorious blue box. I will watch that too.
4–Minced meat
Did you know that ground meats represent one of the greatest health risks? During mincing, bacteria transfer from the meat surface to the interior, making it more difficult to reach the necessary temperature to kill germs.
For this reason, you shouldn’t eat burgers or other preparations with undercooked minced meat. In fact, it is recommended that children under five years of age avoid eating any type of minced meat, regardless of how it is cooked. Contaminated ground meats can lead to a serious illness called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, which causes acute kidney damage that requires hospitalization and can even be fatal.
KB’s take: I had never thought about bacteria from the surface of ground beef being mixed into the rest of the beef when I form the burger patties, but that makes sense. So should I be shaving the ground beef first? Hmm…
5–Soups and stews
Batch cooking often saves us from having to prepare a meal from scratch when we come home tired from work. However, we must take some precautions. For example, you should never store hot food in the refrigerator, as it can raise the temperature of the rest of the food.
It is important to cool your soups and stews thoroughly if you are planning to store them in the fridge. If you want to speed things up, you can transfer your preparation to a shallow pan or use an ice bath to cool it quicker. Remember not to leave the food out for too long, though, as it can ferment and bring other problems. This is essential, especially for large portions.
KB’s take: Seriously? Let’s say Jeannette has half a can of leftover Progresso soup. Even if she took it straight from the stovetop to the fridge (which she never does), how much could that little bit raise the temperature of the rest of the food?
And ice baths? C’mon man!
At our house we express gratitude to God for providing the food we eat. But as you can tell from today’s post, that’s not the only reason we pray over it.
Tomorrow: “When in doubt, throw it out” and other words to live by.
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