Storing food correctly not only preserves the appearance, texture and flavour of your ingredients but also protects from food poisoning. By taking care of products you could save money too as you won’t need to throw away food that has spoiled. Here are some tips for safe food storage:
Keep Your Cool
It’s important to make sure your fridge is set at the right temperature. Too cold and foods can freeze impairing the taste and texture but too warm and you risk bacteria entering the food. The NHS advises that your fridge should be kept below 5°C.
When storing meat in the fridge, it’s important to keep it on the bottom shelf so that juices from the meat can’t drip onto other food. You should also keep the meat in sealed containers and always keep cooked meat away from raw meat to prevent food poisoning.
When storing leftovers, make sure they cool down quickly before putting them into the fridge. If the food is still warm it could raise the temperature within your fridge which can cause bacteria to grow.
Be Freezer Friendly
Freezing provides a really useful method for storing food for a long time. However, the quality of food can deteriorate if left in the freezer for too long so always check the packets to find out how long items can be frozen for. When freezing home cooked items, remember to label the container with the date when the food was frozen.
Always freeze convenience food before the ‘use-by’ or ‘best before’ date. When defrosting food it’s best to defrost in the fridge, rather than defrosting on the counter top, so that the food thaws gradually and doesn’t become too warm. Heat and eat food as soon as it has defrosted and once defrosted don’t refreeze. Rather than freezing large dishes, you might find it more practical to cut them into individual portions before freezing so that you only have to defrost what you need.
Clever Cupboard Storage
Dry goods generally keep for much longer than chilled food but if you keep dry goods in a cupboard, pantry or cellar, make sure they are well wrapped to protect against damp, insects and rodents. Keep an eye on the best-before dates too – it’s easy to find ingredients that are months or even years old stashed away at the back of the cupboard. Even if they don’t do your health any harm, the quality of the ingredients may have deteriorated over time.
Canny Cans
Since canned goods were introduced in the 1800s, they have revolutionised food storage; providing a safe, cheap and convenient way to store a whole range of foods, from fruit and fish to vegetables and meat, for a long time. This means tinned goods rarely pose any problems when it comes to safe storage. However, once the can is opened it loses its protection against the elements so always check cans for dents or holes before buying. Once opened, you should eat the contents of the can as soon as possible. If you are putting the contents in the fridge for use later, decant into a suitable container as the metal in the can may transfer into the food.
For more information about safe food storage, visit: www.foodsafety.gov
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