Many of us have adapted to having a home cooked meal than eating out in the restaurants; this has increased as a result of the economy situation. A very important factor of home cooking is the knowledge of correct ways to store food items, which by the way is different of each food item. Raw food, cooked food and leftovers should be stored at different temperature and environment. Food safe classes cover the correct procedures for storing food effectively; protect it from bacteria or germ infection.
This article gives some tips on how to keep food items fresh and healthy for consumption.
Purchasing Food from the Grocery Stores
Food safe starts in the store:
- Inspect food items properly before buying them. Make sure that the container has not been damaged in any way. Check for dents and bulging on canned food. Make sure that safety seals on bottles or jars products are still intact. These measures ensure that the food item is still protected.
- Also, observe the environment of the store you are shopping in. You do not want to be shopping in a dirty, smelling store. Find out if the staffs are completed the food safe classes, they usually frame a certificate on the wall if they do. This will let you know if the restaurant is following the food safe guidelines enforced by the health department of the state.
- Check for expiring dates on food items. Also check your eggs before buying them to make sure they are not cracked.
- Frozen foods such as raw meat, fish and delicate food such eggs should be put in the shopping cart and grocery bags last.
- Store perishables not later than two hours after purchase. If they are not stored in the correct place and at the right temperature, they will be exposed to bacterial infection.
Correct Food Safe Storage Procedures
The refrigerator is one of the most effective and the safest place to store food item but if the food item is not stored in the right compartment of the refrigerator it might go bad not unhealthy for consumption. Therefore, it is necessary to know the correct temperature to store each item and at what temperature is the environment which can be verified with a thermometer.
- This is an ideal place to store condiments, ketchup, tomato sauce, salad dressings and more. It is not a place to store food item such as milk or cheese which need lower temperature.
- The door of the freezer is a good place to store frozen fruits, vegetables, nuts, flour and so on.
- If you have a crisper drawer in your freezer, it is a good place to store vegetables. Bell peppers and apple.
Research tells that there are millions of victims of food-borne diseases yearly, thousands are hospitalized annually and thousands do not survive from the illness annually. Therefore, it is crucial that we all have the knowledge of food storage and preparation according to the procedures taught in approved food safe classes.