The holidays are the one time of year when we routinely over-produce dishes -- even when anticipating a crowd of dinner guests. There's something about cranking out tasty appetizers and baking unique holiday desserts from around the world that underscores festive feelings of abundance and fellowship. Not to mention the fact that leftovers can be a beautiful thing, as anyone who's ever made a roast turkey, collard green, and cranberry sauce sandwich knows.
But even more important than eating well is the need to observe basic food safety standards. Food-borne illnesses can be nasty in the best of cases and fatal in the worst, so to keep you and your loved ones healthy, remember the 2-2-2 rule: two hours to get cooked food into the fridge, two days to eat leftovers before freezing, and two months in the freezer.
The goal is to keep perishable foods out of what is known as the temperature Danger Zone, according to FoodSafety.gov; that is, between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. These are the conditions that most encourage bacterial growth and proliferation. It typically takes two hours for cooked food to cool down to Danger Zone temperatures (hence the first "2" in the 2-2-2 rule), but bear in mind that foods subjected to ambient temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit should be refrigerated after only an hour -- good to know when transporting food in a hot car to a summertime picnic.
Two Days In The Fridge, More Or Less
As a general rule of thumb (and following the 2-2-2 rule), try to eat refrigerated leftovers within two days. While this rule errs on the side of caution (most raw meats and fish are good for two days in the fridge, according to the FDA's Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart), you've still only got four days max before refrigerated leftovers start to become unsafe to eat. This is because colder, non-freezing temperatures only delay bacterial growth, they don't stop it.
In addition, there are some types of leftovers (rice and seafood, for example) that carry a higher risk of contamination and should be consumed more quickly, so it's good to familiarize yourself with more tips for eating leftovers. So, what is the fail-safe way to store leftovers? Freeze them; even super-perishable raw foods like pork sausage will last up to two months when frozen.
Two Months In The Freezer, But Learn To Thaw
Freezing leftovers might be the safest food storage option, but don't assume that keeping foods at 0 degrees Fahrenheit kills bacteria and microbes. it doesn't, according to the USDA. Rather, the little bugs are just immobilized, waiting to wake up again when things warm up. So, this leads to another important food safety topic, which is not whether to freeze but how to thaw -- and it's definitely not by letting food sit out on the countertop!
Instead, you can thaw frozen food safely one of three ways: in the refrigerator (though it will need to sit there at least overnight if not for a couple of days); in cold water (after first being placed in a leak-proof plastic bag; or in the microwave. Just remember that once your leftovers are hot enough to eat, you've got two hours to consume, refrigerate, or refreeze them. So, cook up a storm, share that eating experience with everyone you love, and be safe about food storage and handling by remembering the 2-2-2 rule.
Read the original article on Daily Meal.
Sikukuu ni wakati mmoja wa mwaka ambapo kwa kawaida tunazalisha vyakula vingi kupita kiasi - hata tunapotarajia umati wa wageni wa chakula cha jioni. Kuna kitu kuhusu cranking nje appetizers ladha na kuoka desserts kipekee likizo kutoka duniani kote kwamba underlines hisia sherehe ya wingi na ushirika. Kwa kuongezea, chakula cha mchana kinaweza kuwa kitu kizuri sana, kama mtu yeyote ambaye amewahi kufanya sandwichi ya Uturuki, collard ya kijani, na mchuzi wa cranberry anajua. Lakini jambo muhimu zaidi kuliko kula vizuri ni uhitaji wa kufuata viwango vya msingi vya usalama wa chakula. "Ugonjwa unaosababishwa na chakula unaweza kuwa mbaya katika hali mbaya na hatari ya kifo, kwa hivyo ili kuhifadhi afya yako na ya wapendwa wako, kumbuka sheria ya ""2-2-2"" - masaa mawili ya kuweka chakula kilichochomwa kwenye friji, siku mbili za kula mabaki kabla ya kufungia, na miezi miwili kwenye friji." "Kutumia chakula cha kawaida kwa muda mrefu ni muhimu kwa sababu ya hali ya hewa ya ""eneo la hatari"" (Fahrenheit 40-140)." Hizi ndizo hali zinazochochea zaidi ukuzi na kuenea kwa bakteria. "Kila chakula kinachotengenezwa kwa joto la chini ya joto la ""Danger Zone"" (kwa hivyo ""2"" ya kwanza katika sheria ya 22-2), lakini kumbuka kwamba vyakula vilivyo chini ya joto la mazingira juu ya 90 ° F (Fahrenheit) vinapaswa kufunguliwa baada ya saa moja tu - ni vizuri kujua wakati wa kusafirisha chakula katika gari moto kwa picnic ya majira ya joto." "Kama sheria ya jumla ya kidole gumba (na kufuata sheria ya 2-2-2), jaribu kula mabaki ya baridi ndani ya siku mbili.""" "Kama sheria hii ni ya tahadhari (nyama nyingi mbichi na samaki ni nzuri kwa siku mbili katika friji, kulingana na Chati ya Uhifadhi wa Friji na Fries ya FDA), bado una siku nne tu kabla ya mabaki ya friji kuanza kuwa salama kula.""" Hii ni kwa sababu joto la chini, hali ya chini ya baridi kali huahirisha tu ukuaji wa bakteria, hazizuii. Kwa kuongezea, kuna aina fulani za mabaki (kwa mfano mchele na samaki) ambayo hubeba hatari kubwa ya uchafuzi na inapaswa kutumiwa haraka zaidi, kwa hivyo ni vizuri kujifahamisha na vidokezo zaidi vya kula mabaki. Kwa hiyo, ni njia gani ya kuhifadhi mabaki bila kukosa? Kuhifadhiwa: Hata vyakula vya haraka kama vile soseji ya nguruwe inaweza kudumu kwa miezi miwili ikiwa imefungwa. Kuhifadhi mabaki ya chakula kwenye friji inaweza kuwa njia salama zaidi ya kuhifadhi chakula, lakini usidhani kuwa kuweka chakula katika joto la 0 ° F kuua bakteria na vimelea. Hii ni kwa sababu, kulingana na USDA, Badala yake, wadudu hao wadogo hawawezi kusonga, wakisubiri kuamka tena wakati hali itakapopanda joto. Hii inaongoza kwenye mada nyingine muhimu ya usalama wa chakula, ambayo si kama kufungia lakini jinsi ya kuyeyuka - na ni dhahiri si kwa kuruhusu chakula kukaa nje juu ya countertop! Kwa hivyo, unaweza kuyeyusha chakula kilichohifadhiwa kwa njia tatu: kwenye friji (ingawa itahitaji kukaa huko angalau usiku kucha, ikiwa sio kwa siku chache); katika maji baridi (baada ya kuwekwa kwenye mfuko wa plastiki usio na uvujaji); au kwenye microwave. Kumbuka kwamba mara tu mabaki yako yanapokuwa moto vya kutosha kula, una masaa mawili ya kuyaweka kwenye friji au kuyeyusha tena. "Kufanya hivyo, ""kuweka up dhoruba, kushiriki kwamba kula uzoefu na kila mtu wewe upendo, na kuwa salama kuhusu kuhifadhi chakula na utunzaji kwa kukumbuka 2-2-2 sheria.""" Soma makala ya awali kwenye Daily Meal.