It is the habit of many families to eat leftovers every other day or bring lunch boxes, which is also a sign of food conservation. However, if improperly stored or reheated, bacteria may grow and cause food poisoning, and the top three food poisoning cases in the past years include Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella.
1. How to preserve leftovers, put in the refrigerator is foolproof?
It is recommended that when cooking large portions, such as braised meat, stewed chicken, etc., they can be divided first to avoid the risk of bacterial contamination from saliva. Refrigerator refrigeration can only inhibit bacteria, but not eliminate them. Refrigerate cooked ingredients for 1 to 2 days at most, not more than 3 days, and freeze them for up to one month, and dispose of them when they expire.
2. Hot food should not be put in the refrigerator, is it really so?
The risk of bacterial growth is related to temperature and time control. The so-called “dangerous temperature zone” means between 7℃ and 60℃, which is suitable for the rapid growth and reproduction of bacteria. Therefore, cooked dishes can be put in the refrigerator at room temperature and cooled down to a temperature that is not hot, and quickly cooled down to below 7°C to effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria. Food poisoning is usually at its peak in summer, so it is recommended that food be placed in the refrigerator for an hour before it is finished to avoid spoilage.
In addition, some people for convenience, the food in the electric pot to keep warm, in fact, this is not good, because the electric pot in a warm state temperature below 60 ℃, as in the cultivation of bacteria, it is recommended to be refrigerated, and then reheat before eating.
3. How hot do leftovers need to be reheated?
When reheating leftovers or overnight vegetables, the central temperature should be 70°C or higher to eliminate most germs. If you use microwave oven, you can reheat them in stages, stirring slightly in the middle of the reheating process so that the heat is evenly distributed. Regardless of the method used, reheating should be done once, not repeatedly, in order to take care of both the taste of ingredients and food safety.
4. What foods should not be brought to lunch? Vegetables containing nitrite can cause cancer?
It is best to finish seafood at the same meal. Fish species rich in histamine (such as tuna, mackerel, bonito, etc.) may cause food allergies if eaten the next day. There is not enough research to prove that leafy vegetables contain nitrite, but it is possible to wash the nitrite off the surface of vegetables during washing. However, the color of green vegetables becomes grayish yellow after reheating, and the taste is soft and rotten, so it is not recommended to bring bento, and can be replaced by wild bamboo shoots, corn shoots, cabbage, radish, mushrooms or frozen cauliflower.
5. Eating overnight food has eaten nutrition?
The three major nutrients in food, carbohydrates, fats and proteins, will not be lost excessively due to reheating. Previous studies have pointed out that vitamin C will indeed be reduced when cooking and heating or even preserving, and the lost part can be made up by fresh fruits.
Therefore, there is no need to worry too much about the risk of nutritional deficiencies when eating overnight vegetables.
The containers for preserving leftovers should also pay attention to hygiene, stainless steel and glass materials are safer, plastic lids or containers such as scratches, may hide dirt, should be immediately replaced; in addition, the inner silicone strip ring remember to clean the lid, if improper cleaning is also easy to breed mold and bacteria, which can contaminate food, for people with poor immunity, the elderly or children, may cause discomfort.
Recommended reading:
Life’s Common Sense: fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables all have nutritional value
