Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Safe Food Storage is a Great Way to Reduce Food Waste and Save Money

It is surprisingly easy to help prevent food-borne illnesses caused by harmful bacteria, and save money at the same time, all it takes to begin is to know about safe food storage. Storing food properly will help ensure the quality of food, especially texture, nutritional value and taste, you just need to know how to store food and how long they can be safely stored. Storage time is strongly influenced by the quality of the product at purchase, and how it is stored. The first thing to remember is to avoid buying food in quantities that can not be eaten within a reasonable time and that you rotate your stored foods will help to ensure the older items are used first. It is also important to pick up the perishable goods last when you're in the shop and put them in the refrigerator or freezer as soon as you get home as possible.

Use the following general guidelines for safe food storage:

In the fridge

Always keep the temperature at 40 degrees F or below, try using a thermometer in different parts of the refrigerator to monitor the temperature.

Foods as poultry, fish, meat, eggs, milk and other dairy products must be stored in the coldest part of refrigerator.

Always store food in airtight wraps or containers that help to prevent foods from drying out and to prevent odors or variations from the transfer from one food to another.

Wrap raw meat, fish and poultry thoroughly, and make sure that no juice can drain away from them (this can contaminate other foods). Avoid using bags, there is no possibility for storage.

Leave enough space in the refrigerator so air can circulate freely, this will allow food to be sufficiently cooled

Remember that refrigeration does not prevent growth of harmful bacteria, the only brake them down.

In the freezer

Always maintain a temperature of 0 degrees F or below, the quality of food will deteriorate at higher temperatures.

Freeze items in moisture proof containers or wraps, freezer burn will occur if the packaging is torn or has holes in it.

Always thaw foods in the refrigerator, which will help to control bacterial growth.

The food can be refrozen if it is partially thawed, but this can degrade the quality, but the combination dishes like stews, soups and casseroles should not be refrozen.

It is very useful if frozen foods are properly labeled, including the type of food, weight and date easily identify them.

The Pantry

Keep pantry dark, cool and dry, try to maintain the temperature between 50 and 70 degrees F.

Many pantry items have a long shelf life, but only buy what you can realistically expect to use within recommended storage times.

Keep food in glass, plastic or metal containers, this will help to keep them from deteriorating in the pantry.

Clean the pantry regularly to remove food particles.

Food must be stored in the coolest cabinets, as far away as possible from the dishwasher, water heater or stove.

Another good way to keep food fresher and save money at the same time is an amazing new product called eggstrafresh . Together with the help of safe food storage methods, it will help to increase the freshness of all your foods by reducing oxidation and retains moisture, which are the two biggest causes of bacteria, mildew and nasty odors. eggstrafresh will also improve the taste, flavor, texture and natural color on all your food, it also works in the pantry!

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