The Hot and Dry Season is a great time to enjoy outdoor activities and good food. But the problem is, in this type of weather, food can easily spoil.
When temperatures rise, oxidation happens faster, making bacteria multiply. Microbes that cause the spoilage also thrive in warm temperature.
Here are some tips to prevent this from happening:
1. Seal it shut. Airtight containers are a must in storing rice, grains, and dried seeds. These help prevent contamination from microbes found in your surroundings.
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2. Follow your nose. Do not eat anything that smells foul or tastes off. This is especially true for food kept out of the fridge for more than five hours.
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3. Follow the three-day rule. Consume leftovers in the fridge within three days. If you can’t, freeze them.
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4. Freeze, thaw then cook. Thaw frozen foods then cook immediately; otherwise these will spoil due to bacteria. During the thawing process, the defense brought by freezing decreases, allowing microbes to invade. Immediately cooking or reheating the food will prevent this scenario.
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5. Cool down hot food before putting in the fridge. Before refrigeration, let hot food cool down for no more than two hours to avoid bacteria overgrowth causing food poisoning. Separate food into smaller containers to help it cool down faster.
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6. Know how to store food on the go. When traveling, cool your food and store them in ice boxes to make them last longer.
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7. Turn up the cold. Max your refrigerator’s thermostat this season. Keep raw meat in the freezer to slow down the movement of molecules. This will allow microbes to enter a dormant stage, thereby preventing spoilage. Raw veggies are best stored in coolers/crispers to retain their nutrients.
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8. Separate raw from cooked food. The bacteria in raw food can spoil cooked dishes.
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9. Rice and shine. While cooking rice, put in a few drops of vinegar to the water to preserve cooked rice in hot weather. A few drops will not affect the rice’s taste.
10. Keep your hands clean. To prevent contamination, wash your hands before touching any food, raw or cooked.
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Keeping your food fresh does not only help you save money, it also saves you from potential illnesses, such as diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea which are symptoms of food poisoning. Although proper food handling should be done with extra care during the hot season, this practice should be observed all year round.
By: Michael Bon D. Galang – Panahon.TV Intern
With temperatures soaring at this time, food spoilage is one of our immediate concerns.
Ingesting contaminated food and drinks results to diarrhea or even food poisoning which may lead to dehydration. And dehydration is the very thing we need to avoid when the season is hot and dry.
So why do food spoilage easily occur during the warmer months? Most likely because of the following factors:
Improper food storage
This is the leading cause of food spoilage. Perishable food unrefrigerated for more than two hours is better headed to your compost pit than your stomach. Foods such as fish, meat, poultry and dairy products are especially prone to contamination in warmer weather.
Spoilage Bacteria.
These microscopic organisms multiply, sometimes rapidly, as long as nutrition and water are present. Bacterial growth rate is high in warm climate, resulting to the rotten appearance and foul smell in spoiled food.
To prevent food spoilage from spoiling your fun in the sun, here are some tips to keep your food safe and fresh:
· Wash your hands before handling food.
· Store food items separately and in tightly sealed containers to prolong their shelf life.
· Monitor food for sign of spoilage. If food is on its way to getting spoiled, remove it immediately to prevent its bacteria contaminating everything else inside the refrigerator.
· Avoid cross contamination by using separate utensils for raw and cooked foods.
· Thaw frozen food in a refrigerator or microwave oven before cooking, and not in the counter to avoid bacteria from rapidly contaminating your food.
· Fruits and vegetables should be washed before cooking to remove any dirt and soil residue that may contain bacteria.
· Keep cold food cold and reheat food after it has been kept in room temperature for a long time to destroy any bacterial growth.
· When doing grocery shopping, head to the frozen food section last. Pack raw and cooked foods separately.
· When eating outdoors, keep food covered and under the shade to prevent pests from diving into them.
· When faced with the dilemma of food spoilage, remember the wise words, “Remember, if in doubt, throw it out!”