We are always up for entertaining. We love to cook, bake, and love having friends over. To keep ourselves and our friends having fun, it’s important to know how to keep food fresh.
Every day, people suffer from food poisoning. This can come from undercooked foods, bacteria, out of date products, or simply food that is left out too long. To help protect yourself and your loved ones from food poisoning, the Ad Council, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, FDA and CDC and their Food Safe Families campaign as well as the Partnership for Food Safety Education are setting the record straight on food safety to save you time, money, and most importantly, peace of mind, that your food is safe for your family’s consumption. Check out these sites for more information on food safety- fightbac.org and www.foodsafety.gov/
Some of the myths they would like to debunk include;
MYTH #1: “If I microwave food, the microwaves kill the bacteria, so the food is safe.”
MYTH #2: “Of course I wash all bagged lettuce and greens because it might make me sick if I don’t.”
MYTH #3: “I don’t need to use a food thermometer. I can tell when my food is cooked by looking at it or checking the temperature with my finger.”
MYTH #4: “I can’t re-freeze foods after I have thawed them – I have to cook them or throw them away.”
My husband always believed (and still argues with me) that putting food in the microwave will kill bacteria and germs. However, microwaves do not kill bacteria- they create the heat that can kill bacteria in foods. However, even microwaves with turntables can cook unevenly due to variations in size, shape, and thickness- so you should always check the food with a food thermometer in a few different areas to ensure proper cooking.
I have also worried about re-freezing foods. This myth has a few sides, so read carefully! While you can refreeze foods that you thawed in the refrigerator, you cannot if you thawed them anyplace else. Something to keep in mind about re-freezing foods is that one should not ever re-freeze raw or not fully cooked foods that have been thawed outside of the refrigerator- that does become a health hazard. If you have food that you thawed outside of the refrigerator, like in water or in the microwave, these should be cooked right away. Never let raw food thaw by defrosting on the counter tops.
Keeping it clean is also essential- make sure counters, cutting boards, knives, and thermometers are all carefully cleaned after each use. Replace your sponge regularly. Simple things will keep you and your family safe and healthy year round.
Keeping food the proper temperature while serving is important as well. But with so many cute, cute ways to display food, why not? Check out this idea from Pinterest with a pool inflatable!
Do your part to keep you and your guests safe!
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