With so many cases of food poisoning – approximately 48 million per year in the United States – it should be a high priority to avoid it. Food poisoning can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Take some time to learn about the prevention of food poisoning to lessen the chances that you or your loved ones will be included in this statistic.
How Long Can Food Be Left Out?
Special care needs to be taken when food is left at room temperature. Some food can be left on the counter indefinitely, whereas other types have limits as to how long you can do so safely. Here are some guidelines about how long to leave some common types of food out of the fridge.
Meats
Precautions must be taken when meat has been removed from the fridge. If your meat is cooked, then it is a rule of thumb to leave it out no longer than two hours. If you have not eaten it by that point, it is safest to throw it out.
Meat that has sat around too long, especially in the so-called “danger zone” of 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, allows bacteria to multiply rapidly. When it comes to meats, salmonella and E. coli are a few of the main ones to worry about.
Mayonnaise and Foods Containing Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is a food that also requires some care. Although it is popular in foods like potato salad that often remain outdoors in the heat at picnics and barbecues for long periods of time, it is unsafe when out for too long.
Mayonnaise should never be out of the fridge for longer than two hours. If your food is going to be sitting in the sun or heat that is higher than 90 degrees Fahrenheit, that time should be cut down to one hour.
Dairy
Dairy foods include items such as milk, cream, cheese and yogurt.
Hard cheeses can be left out of the fridge for rather long periods of time. Four hours is recommended by some, as hard cheeses do not contain the moisture that allows bacteria to breed.
Soft cheeses should never be left out of the fridge more than two hours, though, and in fact it is recommended that they be placed on ice or in another type of cooler when out for longer than 30 minutes.
Milk that reaches the two-hour out-of-fridge mark should be discarded, and the same goes for yogurt.
Rice
Rice is an item that many people think of as being perfectly fine to leave out as long as necessary. However, rice contains bacillus cereus spores that are not killed even with cooking. When left at room temperature to cool for more than two hours, the bacteria spores then grow, producing a toxin that can make you quite ill. Rice must be put into the fridge when it is cooling down and thereafter.
Eggs
Eggs are left at room temperature in many parts of the world. In North America, we are advised to keep them in the fridge to avoid salmonella. Leaving a cold egg out of the fridge can cause the egg to sweat, and bacteria to be moved into the egg.
There are many types of food that need to be refrigerated, and they each have their own timeline. Follow the guidelines above to keep your food safely stored when not being eaten. You will reap a healthy and happy family.
How Often Should You Wash Your Hands?
Washing your hands is one of the best steps you can take in order to stay healthy and avoid contagious diseases. It is a good habit to get into, and there are specific times when it is especially important to wash your hands. Here are some of the circumstances in which you should wash them thoroughly.
After Coughing or Blowing Your Nose
First of all, you should cough and sneeze into the inside of your elbow instead of your hand. But it is a good idea to wash your hands after coughing or blowing your nose either way. There are always tiny amounts of nasal mucus that stay on your hands after using a Kleenex that need to be washed off. If you don’t wash them off, this germ-filled fluid will transfer onto everything you touch, and will then expose everyone else to it.
Before Eating or Cooking
You should always wash your hands before eating. With all the germs that accumulate on your hands throughout the day, it is important that they be removed. Otherwise they will pass onto your fork and food, and into your mouth where they can begin to wreak havoc on your body.
After Using the Bathroom
Always wash your hands completely after using the bathroom. Whether you are at home or in a public restroom, it is important to do this without fail. When you do not wash your hands after using the toilet, you are spreading germs from bodily waste that needs to stay contained.
After Touching Garbage
Taking out the trash? Be sure to stop at the bathroom to wash your hands on the way back indoors. Even the outside of the trash bag contains enough germs to pass a variety of illnesses on to you.
After Riding Public Transit and Being in Public
Whether you are seated and resting your arms and hands on the seat, or standing and holding onto a rail, public transit is loaded with germs and viruses. When you exit public transit, wipe your hands with a wet wipe or hand sanitizer. When you get home, do a thorough cleaning with warm water and soap.
Before and After Cleaning Wounds
Cleaning and treating wounds is essential and unavoidable. However, always remember to clean your hands before and after. Cleaning before prevents complications in the wound, and cleaning after prevents any blood-borne illness from reaching others.
After Touching Animals and Related Items
Animals are best friends to many humans, but they carry many germs that can make humans ill. After touching animals or cleaning up after them, give your hands a good wash. This is in the best interest of you and anyone else that is around.
The Correct Way to Wash Your Hands
It is not enough to haphazardly rinse your hands and wipe them dry. When you wash your hands, it needs to be done thoroughly and carefully. Use soap and water that is as warm as you can tolerate. Wash and scrub for at least 20 seconds and then wipe them on a clean towel.
Many diseases and conditions could be eliminated or at least avoided if everyone washed their hands regularly. Listed above are certain times where it is especially important to do so. Do your part to cut down on illness by washing your hands every time you should.
How to Store and Use Leftovers
Eating leftovers is a great way to save money and time spent cooking a new meal. It is important to store and use leftovers safely, however. By following these tips, you can make your original meal stretch into two.
Don’t Save Food That Has Been Sitting Out More Than Two Hours
Food safety guidelines dictate that food should never be left out more than two hours. If your food has been out longer, you must throw away all extras. Otherwise, you risk a high threat of food-borne illness.
Don’t Reheat More Than Once
If you kept your leftovers and reheated them, and then still had more leftovers from the second meal… simply throw them away. You might wish to keep them and get more use from the meal, but you risk your health by doing so. If you can’t use all the leftovers, simply take out as much as you need, warm it up, and leave the rest in the fridge for another meal in order not to waste any.
Reheat to the Proper Temperature
When reheating food, you need to reheat it to a minimum temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Leftover liquid foods such as soup, broths and sauces should be boiled before being eaten again. Keeping liquid at 150 degrees or higher for more than a single minute kills any active bacteria, and boiling it for 10 minutes inactivates the botulism toxin.
Rules on Refreezing
When using the freezer to store foods, make sure that the food has not been out of the freezer for more than two days, and that it has not been thawed outside of the fridge. Refreezing should only be done once, and raw food that is now cooked can be safely frozen once as well. By following these rules, you can be aware as to what food is safe to refreeze.
Don’t Store Leftovers More Than Three Days
At times it’s boring to eat leftovers two nights in a row, and they end up staying in the fridge longer. When this happens, don’t keep them any longer than three days. When three days has passed, be sure to get rid of them completely. If you find it difficult to eat the leftovers in due time, simply meal plan the leftovers into your schedule so that you don’t forget about them.
Use Labels
It can be confusing when you have more than one set of leftovers. Almost anyone who eats leftovers has had moments when they didn’t know when original cooking date of the leftovers was. Because it is better to be safe than sorry, perfectly good food is often thrown away. To prevent this, use a label or erasable marker to write the date on the leftover container. This way, you will be assured that the food you are eating is safe.
Leftovers keep life simple and help make less waste. There is no reason to avoid leftovers; you simply need to ensure they are saved and reheated properly. By following these simple rules, you can have your leftovers and eat them too.
Six Ways to Prevent Food Poisoning
- Be Vigilant about Washing Your Hands and All Surfaces
Cleanliness in food preparation is an absolute must. When working with food, you should wash your hands thoroughly before and after food preparation. Wash them properly, for at least 20 seconds with very warm water and soap.
Wash all surfaces thoroughly before use, in order to prevent contamination by anything that may have touched them since their last use. If you are unsure whether they are fully clean, it is better to spend a few extra minutes washing them again than to take any chances.
- Know Who Is Preparing and Cooking Your Food
It is easy to control what goes on in your own kitchen. It is entirely another story when it comes to eating out, or eating at friends’ houses. Keep an eye on their food preparation habits, and don’t be afraid to turn down any foods that were not handled properly, even if you risk offending someone.
- Cook Food Thoroughly
Always cook food properly. It must be cooked to a certain temperature, and for a certain amount of time. Follow the rules and don’t experiment when it comes to food safety.
- Don’t Leave Food Sitting Out
When you have finished eating, put the leftovers away immediately. When you remove something from the fridge or freezer in order to use it, put it back as soon as you are finished. Don’t allow food to sit around, being exposed to temperatures that make it easy for bacteria to grow.
- Avoid Cross-Contamination
When you are storing foods, keep raw meats away from fresh produce. In the freezer, don’t set bags of frozen food close to ice cube trays, because this may contaminate the ice cubes when they touch each other. Don’t use utensils for one food and then another. Each food has its own rules about how long it needs to be cooked, so keep dishes and utensils separate and free of cross-contamination.
- Don’t Take Chances
Some of us are terrified of being wasteful. Being overly cautious of this, however, can lead to poor choices when it comes to food safety.
If you can’t remember what day you originally ate your leftovers, and they might be more than three days old, throw them away. If a food smells slightly rancid, throw it away. If a food has a “best before” date that has already passed, throw it away.
Never take chances on your health, or that of your family. It is better to lose a few dollars by throwing food away, than to end up in hospital in severe pain.
Food poisoning is a common illness, but it does not have to happen to you. Simply learn these tips on how to prevent it. Enjoy preparing and cooking your food in a healthy, happy way.
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