When In Doubt, Throw It Out
By: Sam | October 17, 2007 | Category: Home and Family
When it comes to cooking, I have to admit I’m no Top Chef. Dinner is usually either a sandwich, cereal, or whatever frozen meal was on sale. And yes, these pathetic dinners do lead me to a.) wish I could have Curtis from the Take Home Chef cook my meals every night, and b.) dine out or order takeout more often than I would like to admit.
As a result, I always have leftovers. Who doesn’t love cold pizza or General Tso’s chicken for breakfast? But by the third morning, I’m never quite sure if my last slice of pepperoni will make me sick. Thankfully, the Food Safety and Inspection Service has put together these handy storage charts, which will be posted on my fridge and, hopefully, yours as well.
|
Refrigerator Storage at 40º or below |
|
|---|---|
|
Cooked meat or poultry |
3 to 4 days |
|
Pizza |
3 to 4 days |
|
Luncheon meats |
3 to 5 days |
|
Egg, tuna, and macaroni salads |
3 to 5 days |
|
Freezer Storage at 0º or below |
|
|---|---|
|
Cooked meat or poultry |
2 to 6 months |
|
Pizza |
1 to 2 months |
|
Luncheon meats |
1 to 2 months |
In addition to storage times, here are some additional food safety tips:
- Keep in mind the 2-hour rule. Discard all perishable items left at room temperature after two hours.
- When reheating your leftovers, follow these easy guidelines.
- And remember when in doubt, throw it out!
Feel free to share your favorite recipes for leftovers below.
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Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Foods rich in protein, such as meat, poultry, and seafood, are more frequently involved in foodborne illness outbreaks than non-protein-rich foods for 2 reasons:
1.package of ground meat Protein-rich foods tend to be of animal origin, and the bacteria from the animals can be found in these foods.
2. Animal foods are rich in proteins, which are an important nutrient source for some bacteria.
In addition, if hands, cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and surfaces are not thoroughly and properly cleaned after coming in contact with these raw foods, the bacteria from these foods can be transferred to ready-to-eat foods.
HUMAN PATHOGEN ASSOCIATIONS
* Campylobacter jejuni
(beef and poultry)
* Clostridium botulinum
(seafood)
* Clostridium perfringens
(meat)
* Escherichia coli O157:H7
(ground beef and pork)
* Listeria monocytogenes
(pork, poultry, and seafood)
* Norwalk Virus
(seafood)
* Salmonella
(beef, pork, poultry, and seafood)
* Staphylococcus aureus
(beef, pork, and poultry)
* Vibrio cholerae
(seafood)
* Vibrio vulnificus and other vibrios
(seafood)
* Yersinia enterocolitica
(meat and seafood)
So watch out ....
Thanks
NandoTop
http://best-results.blogspot.com/
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