By S. S. Suarez
Christmas is a season for indulgence. When I say indulgence, I think about the sumptuous Noche Buena. We must admit it. It is the reason where every plan to reduce weight is scrapped. We don’t want to miss the mouth-watering lechon and ham, the delectable buko salad, etc.
Moderation is still the best policy this holiday. We are not in Rome hence gluttony should never be in our vocabulary. We should watch our cholesterol and sugar level. Incidents of heart diseases increase this time of the year. More importantly, we should not overindulge. It is considered a sin committed by Ancient Romans. Today it still is. It is equated with greed and indifference. We should not hoard food that we cannot reasonably consume. We should not allow leftovers spoil while many our countrymen die in hunger.
But some people consider leftovers as their best friend. When they don’t have the time to cook or too tired from all the days of work, the chicken and pork adobo from last night crackling in the skillet would at least ease their hunger. However, leftovers need to be properly handled.
Here are some basic food safety tips to help keep leftovers safe.
1) Wash hand properly. Before and after handling leftovers, wash your hands with water and soap. This will prevent the leftovers from being contaminated with a whole lot of bacteria.
2) Use clean utensils. Make sure that when you touch your leftovers with spoon and forks, the utensils must be clean. The bacteria from your saliva can contaminate the food you eat. Wash thoroughly all utensils, dishes and work surfaces. For added protection, you may sanitize.
3) Set refrigerator to the right temperature. Keep foods out of the danger zone, between 4°C (40°F) and 60°C (140°F) to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. Throw away any cooked food left out at room temperature for more than two hours. Never rely on your nose, eyes or taste buds to judge the safety of food. You cannot tell if food is contaminated by its look, smell or taste. When in doubt, throw it out!
4) Cover them tight. Don’t leave uncovered and left over foods in your refrigerator-always have them covered. Make sure to use a container that’s as tight as could be. Here is the tip: Choose reusable plastics wraps to keep your leftovers tasting fresh. Then immediately place them in your refrigerator. Any food you leave for four (4) hours at room temperature may cause sickness such as food poisoning.
5) Don’t leave it at room temperature. Leaving your leftover for more than four (4) hours at room temperature and then eating it means that you are at risk of food poisoning. When the room is really hot, two (2) hours at most is already a danger.
6) Warm leftovers properly. Remember to warm leftover foods completely. Foods that are not heated enough may cause food poisoning. Cover any soups, sauces and gravies and other wet foods and have them come into a boil before serving them again. Make sure that when you boil the leftovers stir them completely so the food reaches the right temperature.
7) Don’t recycle too much. Don’t keep on recycling the leftovers over and over again. Not only will the taste get blander and blander but recycling leftovers again and again can cause food poisoning.
8) Immediately store them. Once you are done eating your food, immediately store them in your refrigerator. Don’t wait for a couple of minutes before doing this because the amount of degradation in your food increases as you sit this out at room temperature longer.
9) Check your refrigerator. At least once a week, clean out your refrigerator and get rid of leftover that have been there since the beginning of time.
