There are various ways in which food can get infected. Food from animal source can get infected easily with exposure to air. Fruits and vegetables can easily get infected with germs from the soil during harvest season. Infection is also likely to happen when the food is stored or transported. Hence, it is of utmost importance that scientifically correct and hygienically responsible practices be adapted to avoid contamination of food at all costs. We should be aware of the best ways to store, freeze, thaw and reheat food to be safe from avoidable food borne ailments.
Storing and Freezing Food
Food should be cooled and refrigerated ideally within 2 hours after cooking. They should be divided into portions before storing them. Refrigerated leftovers should be ideally consumed within 2 days.
All cooked food should be stored in closed airtight containers. Food items whose label shows that they need to be refrigerated should be kept in the fridge till it is taken out to be cooked. We should check the date of expiry of all our food items including those which we keep in the fridge and processed food that we buy from the market. All items which cross the date of expiry should be disposed immediately.
Open tin cans should not be stored in the fridge, as they are, since the food can develop a metallic taste. Transfer the contents into a container with a lid and store it.
The fridge should be set at 5 degree Celsius or below. The fridge should be periodically checked to ensure that everything is hygienic in it and that it is in good working order.
Before storing food in the freezer, cover them with airtight container or freezer bags to avoid drying out of the food. To freeze bananas, peel them and keep them in an airtight container. Fruits with high water content may go squishy after freezing.
Eggs are best stored in the refrigerator. They can also be stored in the freezer. To store eggs in the freezer for baking at a later time, separate the egg yolks and egg whites into separate containers and freeze them. If the eggs have to be used for making scrambled eggs and omelets at a later time, then beat the contents of the egg well, transfer to an airtight container and freeze them. Boiled eggs can be stored in the freezer or in the refrigerator.
Meat and poultry should always be kept in the fridge when they are not being used to avoid food poisoning. Raw meat and poultry should be stored in airtight sealed containers in the bottom shelf of the fridge to avoid accidental contamination of other stored food. Cooked meat and poultry should be kept far away from the raw uncooked meat and poultry in sealed containers.
Meat and poultry which is kept in the freezer should be kept in airtight containers only as exposure can bring ‘freezer burn’ to it making it very hard and inedible. Meat kept in the freezer should also have labels and date to show by which date it can be used. Ideally, meat should not be frozen for more than 3 to 6 months. Any frozen meat should be consumed within 24 hours after it is defrosted and cooked. If the meat is frozen for more than 6 months, then it should be marinated in herbs before cooking to make its texture more appealing.
Raw meat and poultry which has been defrosted should not be re-frozen unless they have been cooked. This is also applicable to fish. So, it is best to divide the meat, poultry and fish into portions before freezing them.
Thawing and De-Frosting Food
Meat and fish should be thoroughly defrosted before cooking. This can be done in a microwave oven if it is to be used right away, or it can be defrosted by transferring the meat from the freezer to the fridge and leaving it there overnight. Defrosted fish and meat will emit a lot of water. So, they should be kept in rimmed vessels to avoid leaking and potential contamination of other food items. They should be cooked at very high temperatures for some time duration to ensure that all germs are dead.
Any defrosted food should only be reheated once as repeated freezing and reheating can increase chances of food poisoning. While reheating leftovers, it should be reheated at 70 degree Celsius for at least 2 minutes so that it would be steaming hot all throughout the food.
To reduce wastage as well as to ensure safety of the food, only that food which will be consumed within 24 hours should be taken out of the freezer. Even food which are typically frozen, like ice cream and frozen desserts should not be returned to the freezer if they have thawed.