Don't Trust The Sniff Test: How Long These Foods Really Keep In the Fridge
Most of us are aware when food in the refrigerator has spoiled — usually it’s something buried in the back that has green fuzzy things growing on it. But the truth is, not all foodborne bacteria can be seen, smelled, or even tasted.
And when it comes to refrigerating leftovers — whether made in your kitchen or from a restaurant — a big portion of the how-long-is-it-safe-to-eat guidelines has to do with how the food was handled prior to being stored, says food safety expert Jeff Nelken, of the Los Angeles Department of Public Health. “For example, leaving the food out for two, three, or four hours at room temperature will impact the life of the food,” he tells Yahoo Health. “It shortens it.”
Nelken offers these basic tips to avoid food poisoning when wrapping up leftovers:
Clock it. As a general rule, Nelken says food can be left out at room temperature for two hours, with four hours being the absolute max. “Once you’ve hit the four-hour mark, you really should toss it,” he advises.
Get the gauge. While the correct temperature for your refrigerator is 41 degrees, Nelken says most people have no idea how cold their fridges actually are. “I conducted a study about 10 years ago where we checked the refrigerator temperatures in people’s homes and we found that most were off by 8 to 12 degrees,” he says. The solution: Invest in a $5 to $10 refrigerator temperature gauge instead of relying on the dial.
Limit items on the door. “The door inside the refrigerator is usually about 5 degrees warmer, so you’d want to place the foods that are more sensitive [to heat] on one of the shelves,” he says. These include eggs, cheese, milk, and meat, including poultry.
Make sure it’s hot the first time. Certain foods need to be cooked to a specific minimum temperature to kill off infection-causing bacteria. As for reheating the food — and keeping the bacteria at bay — Nelken says the food must reach at least 165 degrees as measured by a food thermometer.
Cool it down. As important as it is to make sure food is hot enough, it’s just as vital that it drops to the proper cooling point before storing it, which also helps prevent bacterial growth. If you’re dealing with a larger food item, like a chicken, Nelken suggests cutting it into pieces, placing it in a plastic bag, and putting it in ice water for a few minutes. When storing something from a large pot, like soup, the USDA recommends dividing the leftovers into smaller containers so it will cool quicker and reduce the amount of time for bacteria to multiply. “The safe cooling temperature of hot food is 135 degrees to 70 degrees in two hours or less, and 70 degrees to 41 degrees in four hours or less,” explains Nelken. “So you have six hours to cool food down to 41 degrees.”
Use serving utensils. The rationale behind this one: “If you remember the Seinfeld episode that featured the double-dipping, think of it as wanting to avoid a double-dipping situation,” says Nelken. There are at least 25 to 30 types of bacteria inside of the average person’s mouth, so use a serving spoon — instead of your individual spoon — so you don’t risk contaminating communal food.
Clean the coils. Nelken suggests cleaning the coils and filters of the refrigerator once a year. “If dust and dirt build up in the coils, it makes it hard for the coils to breathe and bring in the air necessary in order to make the refrigeration cycle work properly,” he says.
Go with plastic or glass. Nelken says there’s no data that points to a better type of storage, whether it’s a Tupperware-type container, a plastic baggie, or a glass dish. “As long as the containers are cleaned correctly and, therefore, not carrying over any bacteria from a previous experience, all of the containers are more or less equal,” he says.
