It's a week after Christmas and we are going into the New Year. I hope this finds you well fed and rested. Most home kitchens are pretty well stocked with leftovers and the last of the holiday food right now. So, now would be a good time to talk about how long various foodstuffs remain good to eat. When do leftovers go bad?
Perishable food is food that will spoil if not properly refrigerated. Meats of all kinds, dairy products and leftovers come to mind.
The enemy here is bacteria. Temperature control is the best way to keep bacteria from multiplying. They multiply exponentially (a math term that refers to a number with an "exponent", which determines to what power the number is multiplied. Needless to say, "exponentially" means wicked damn quick.) between the temperatures of 40 and 140 degrees F. That's a pretty wide range of temperature. After 2 hours in this comfortable temperature range, bacteria levels could easily be high enough to cause food poisoning, even if you freeze it and reheat it.
When reheating food, you must get it above the 140 degrees and keep it there long enough for bacteria to die. 145 degrees is better. I reheat at 350 degrees for 15 or 20 minutes in a conventional oven, longer if it isn't steaming hot clear through. I am not practiced with a microwave so you're on your own there.
At temperatures below freezing, bacteria go dormant. A longer shelf life is the goal here. Freezer burn is the biggest downside which is loss of moisture through the packaging. This only affects the quality and is not a safety issue. There is a usually a blanching process, which involves plunging the fruits and vegetables into boiling water prior to freezing. This step can deplete Vitamin C, B1 and folates, but in general this process preserves the fruits and vegetables very well. The better the quality and freshness of the produce, the better the result. Go to the National Center for Home Food Preservation for detailed information on how to freeze produce at home. This website does suggest using aluminum foil and I'm not a big fan of using it when there is any other way. I don't trust that the aluminum isn't leaching into the food, then leaching into the environment when "thrown away". There is evidence linking aluminum to Alzheimer disease.
Bacteria grow slowly in a refrigerator but it does not stop altogether. Food still spoils when in the fridge too long. Raw meats can spoil after just 2 days, cooked food can last as long as a week. About.com has a lot of information on food safety, go to Bacterial Food-borne Illness by the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Hand washing and keeping a clean kitchen is the best way to keep ourselves and our families healthy and free of food borne illnesses. Apparently all manner of bacteria is everywhere, actually unavoidable. Some bacteria survive the trip down our throats and continue to grow in our stomachs causing illness but often the illnesses are not caused by the bacteria themselves, but the mycotoxins produced by the bacteria. As they consume and digest, they off gas and excrete toxic substances and these substances make us sick. Often they are not detectable by sight or smell. Keep your hands and utensils clean, keep the cutting boards, plates and platters and all surfaces clean especially when cooking with meat and dairy products. Be mindful of how long food sets out on the table, reheat or refrigerate after 2 hours. This is a Fact Sheet from the United States Department of Agriculture's Food and Safety Service describing best guidelines for preventing food borne illness.
On the topic of expired food, I recently learned that the expiration dates, sell by dates, best by dates, etc on food stuffs (with the exception of some baby food and formula which are the only foods the Federal Government regulates as to expiration dates) are not there as a safety guideline but purely as a marketing tool. Food manufacturers send samples of their products to the National Food Lab to be sampled by taste testers. The food is ranked by how well it tastes and how good it looks and smells after one day, one week, etc. The manufacturers then decide when to date their food based on shelf life economics compared to the quality level they want their customers to experience. It has nothing to do with health and safety issues at all. It's all about protecting the reputation of their products. To go to the source of where I learned this from, go to Don't Fear that Expired Food, by Dan Charles via National Public Radio and to Still Tasty from Pillsbury's website for more information.
According to the US Center for Disease Control's 2011 report, one in six Americans get sick from food borne illness every year. That's 48 million of us. About 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 will die. The most vulnerable population is the children. I made myself sick and was hospitalized in 2010. I didn't wash my hands well enough before lunch and after coming in from working in the garden. Is it your turn next?
If you missed it, the Forecaster has a great article "School kitchens under close scrutiny" by Will Graff in the Dec 26th issue. If you didn't read it, you may still find a copy of it around town or in your recycle bin. We are fortunate in Maine to have had no complaints of food borne illness in our public schools for the last two years. Will Graff's article goes into great detail about what schools have failed kitchen inspections in the past and how these issues are handled.
As we go into the New Year, let's think about the habits we've allowed to flourish as we spend time in our kitchen. Try to stay focused on your hands as you prepare meals and clean up afterward. Where has inattentiveness crept into our routines and habit taken over? They are your hands, it's your kitchen and it's your health and it's entirely up to you how well you maintain a healthy kitchen. Thanks for indulging my wildest dream by reading my blog. I write because I want to be helpful and I want to encourage us all to be in control of our homes and our lives. Knowledge is power. Being self sufficient and aware of our actions and reactions is key to our health and safety. Happy New Year!
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