How To Treat Leftovers ?

How To Store Them Properly ?

So after almost every meal we eat at home there are some leftovers. Sometimes they are just so small that we throw them away or feed them to the pets. But when a significant amount of food is left at the table, the proper thing to do is to store it for another time later in the day or at the next one. Of course there are a lot of ways to store different types of food, but here are some general advices that we must use in order to avoid food poisoning or other unpleasant effect of spoiled food.

First of all, all food that hasn't been eaten in 2 hours of cooking should be either reheated to 165° F or put in the refrigerator or freezer. And those 2 hours start counting from the moment that the food is out of the oven. So one good tip is to know exactly when are you going to eat before starting the cooking process. When handling leftovers always wash your hands before and after that and store them in clean containers. Don't store food in the same container it was cooked in, unless you have washed it nicely with detergent and water. That's very important because if the container is not washed germs can easily find their way into the food left on the walls of the plate or pan.

And a good tip for freezing food. Use small and shallow containers. And when you put them in the freezer, make sure to leave some free air around it if possible. That way the food will freeze rather quickly. If the container is big and deep and is stuck with other containers next to him, the freezing process will be quite slow and it may take quite a lot of time for the food in the center to freeze completely. That may cause some germs to develop in this warm area and there will be no change in the foods taste or color. So once you eat it you will not notice anything, but later you may become a victim of food poisoning.

NEVER taste any leftovers if you suspect that they are spoiled or don't look the way they should. And follow the common rule to throw away anything older than four days. Even if everything seems okay, don't take that chance. Keeping food in the fridge for longer can not only cause food poisoning, but can also spread germs in the entire fridge and into your good food. If that happens you will be in the need to call some professional cleaners to sanitize your fridge in order to use it safely again.

Oh and if you're freezing some stuffed animal, bird more often, get out the stuffing and freeze it in a separate container. The reason is the same as with the small and shallow containers. If you put the entire bird inside the camera, the stuffing will remain warmer for longer and the chances of bacteria growth are quite large.

In Conclusion

All of this may seem a little to harsh for just putting the food in the fridge, but it is totally worth it. We all know how bad food poisoning can be and if we don't store our food the proper way, that's what we'll get.