Are you a lover or hater of leftovers? I’m definitely a lover – not only is the flavor of some dishes enhanced by a rest overnight in the refrigerator but it is great to have an easy & quick meal sitting there after a day of work. It makes life so much easier. One time that you will surely have left-overs is after a Thanksgiving meal. You can do so much with those left-overs but you need to store them in the best and safest way. That is what I will be talking about in this Tip.

Hot foods (including leftover turkey) should be packaged and refrigerated within 2 hours after serving. (For turkey, after you cut the meat off the bones, save the bones to make a great turkey broth.) The concern for bacterial growth is when food is left in the “danger zone” between the temperatures of 40° and 140° for more than 2 hours (reduce this to 1 hour if the ambient temperature is above 90°). That is why it is important to keep your food hot (at least 140°) or refrigerate it so the temperature drops to less than 40° within 2 hours. For cold foods, keep it under 40° at all times.

For large pieces of meat, it is best to cut it into smaller pieces to quicken cooling. For a dish such as soup, you will want to portion it into shallow containers to allow faster cooling. You can place these items directly into the refrigerator or if you want more rapid cooling, use an ice water bath.

All leftovers should be wrapped well in air-tight packaging. This helps keep bacteria out while retaining moisture and preventing your left-overs from picking up other odors from your refrigerator.

Most left-overs can be stored safely in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Here is a chart from FoodSafety.gov about recommended refrigerator times. For longer storage, freeze the packaged left-overs. Generally, these items can be frozen for 2-6 months. Although you can safely freeze them for a longer time, the food does tend to lose moisture and flavor. Here is another USDA link that talks more about freezing with more specific recommendations for time.

The USDA also has a FoodKeeper app that you can download. You can look up almost any kind of food and it will give you safe storage information specific to that food.

When thawing food (including leftovers), you still need to be aware of the danger zone. That is why it is not recommended to thaw items by sitting at room temperature. Rather, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. For faster but still safe thawing, use either a cold-water bath (make sure the leftovers are in a leak-proof package) or the microwave. Not all foods need to be thawed before re-heating. You can go directly from frozen to hot either on the stovetop or in the microwave.

One important caveat – when re-heating leftovers, you want to take them up to 165° as measured with a food thermometer. Not only will this temperature assure safety as far as bacteria is concerned but it will also be safe to re-freeze the item, if necessary.

So, be happy about left-overs from your Thanksgiving meal. How do you like to use your left-overs? Email me with your favorite ideas and I will share them with others!

If you were to look through my pantry or refrigerator, you would certainly find some items that were beyond their “Best By” dates. Would I find the same if I snooped through your pantry? What do these dates mean and are they really that important? That is the subject of this Cooking Tip.

You may not realize this but according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), they do not require any food dating apart from infant formula.

So, why do we have these dates? Manufacturers provide dates to help consumers and retailers determine the quality of the food, not the safety.

They go further and state that “Most shelf-stable foods are safe indefinitely. In fact, canned goods will last for years, as long as the can itself is in good condition (no rust, dents, or swelling). Packaged foods (cereal, pasta, cookies) will be safe past the ‘best by’ date, although they may eventually become stale or develop an off flavor. You’ll know when you open the package if the food has lost quality. Many dates on foods refer to quality, not safety”.

They continue by explaining that “foods that have been in the freezer for months may be dry, or may not taste as good, but they will be safe to eat. So, if you find a package of ground beef that has been in the freezer more than a few months, don’t throw it out. Use it to make chili or tacos. The seasonings and additional ingredients can make up for loss of flavor.”

There are different terms you will see on food items that need some clarification.

Sell By – This date is more for retailers than consumers, telling them how long to leave something on the shelf. After this date, many stores put these items in the Bargain section. You should regularly look through this section in your store as you can get some perfectly safe food items for great prices.

Best If Used By/Before – This date tells you that the food may be of higher quality or have better flavor if you use it before that date.

Use By – Manufacturers use this date to tell the consumer when to expect the product to be at its best quality and you might expect some deterioration in quality after this date.

Freeze By – A date that tells you when to freeze a food item to retain its quality.

Now, these recommendations presume that you are handling and storing the food items properly. If you do notice any signs of spoilage such as off-odors, flavors or texture, it should be thrown away.

Another interesting tidbit from the USDA is that what causes food spoilage are molds, yeasts and bacteria. Viruses do not cause foods to spoil as they cannot grow in food. As for bacteria, there are what are called pathogenic bacteria, which are the type that cause illness. There are also spoilage bacteria. The latter causes food to spoil but do not cause illness.

There are all sorts of charts in books and online with recommended storage times for different food items. An easier way is to the FoodKeeper website and app from the USDA. Just input the item and it tell you how long you should keep it. For instance, if you input Apple Cider Vinegar, it tells you

For freshness and quality, this item should be consumed within:
Indefinitely
if in the pantry from the date of purchase

The USDA also tells us that it is fine to donate items past their printed dates. As they say, “The quality of perishable products may deteriorate after the date passes but the products should still be wholesome if not exhibiting signs of spoilage. Food banks, other charitable organizations, and consumers should evaluate the quality of the product prior to its distribution and consumption to determine whether there are noticeable changes in wholesomeness.” For more info on this topic, see this link on their website.

I hope this information makes you feel better about not throwing away every food item that hits its “best by” date. There is way too much food waste going on in our country and this Tip may help you decrease that just a bit.

We all know we should be eating more fresh produce because of the nutrient and fiber content. We do, though, want to make sure that the produce is thoroughly cleaned. In a prior Cooking Tip, I discussed how to clean produce to ensure that dirt & pathogens are removed. If you didn’t receive it and wish to read it, email me and I will send it to you. I also wrote a separate Cooking Tip on the pros/cons of buying organic. Here is a link to that Tip. In this Cooking Tip, I wish to discuss removing pesticides from produce.

The normal cleaning of our produce when we bring it home from the store is to eliminate dirt and pathogens, not pesticides. Removing the latter requires a different approach. A recent study from researchers at University of Massachusetts recommends soaking produce in a solution of baking soda and water. That study involved apples and, after treating the apples with pesticides, they then tried three methods of cleaning them. One method was soaking the apples in a baking soda solution for two minutes. The second was a two minute soak in a bleach solution that is used in commercial operations. The third was using just plain water.

The two minute soak in a baking soda solution removed more pesticide than the other two methods. However, to completely remove the pesticides took a soak of 12-15 minutes. The researchers also cautioned that they only looked at two different pesticides and results may vary with other pesticides and methods of application.

Cooks Illustrated decided to put this method to the test. They used pesticide-detection cards and tested grapes. They again tested different methods: a 15 minute soak in a baking soda solution, a 30-second swish in the baking soda solution, rinsing under running cold water and soaking in a vinegar solution. They found that the only two methods that worked to reduce pesticides were a quick swirl and a longer soak in the baking soda solution. Their conclusion was to make a solution of 2 teaspoons baking soda per 1 quart of water and swirl your produce in that for 30 seconds followed by a rinse under cold running water. They also caution that this will only work for certain classes of pesticides. They note that spray pesticides or those applied to the roots cannot be removed with this method.

I encourage all of you to eat as much fresh produce as you can. We have a mixed green salad with chopped veggies on it almost every night. We also put fresh greens on sandwiches as well as using fresh produce in many different recipes. Just do what it takes to ensure the produce is clean and safe to eat. Between this Cooking Tip and the prior ones I wrote, you should have all the information you need to do just that!

Are you a lover or hater of leftovers? I’m definitely a lover – not only is the flavor of some dishes enhanced by a rest overnight in the refrigerator but it is great to have an easy & quick meal sitting there after a day of work. It makes life so much easier. One time that you will surely have left-overs is after a Holiday meal. You can do so much with those left-overs but you need to store them in the best and safest way. That is what I will be talking about in this tip.

Hot foods (including leftover turkey) should be packaged and refrigerated within 2 hours after serving. (For turkey, after you cut the meat off the bones, save the bones to make a great turkey broth.) The concern for bacterial growth is when food is left in the “danger zone” between the temperatures of 40° and 140° for more than 2 hours (reduce this to 1 hour if the ambient temperature is above 90°). That is why it is important to keep your food hot (at least 140°) or refrigerate it so the temperature drops to less than 40° within 2 hours. For cold foods, keep it under 40° at all times.

For large pieces of meat, it is best to cut it into smaller pieces to quicken cooling. For a dish such as soup, you will want to portion it into shallow containers to allow faster cooling. You can place these items directly into the refrigerator or if you want more rapid cooling, use an ice water bath.

All leftovers should be wrapped well in air-tight packaging. This helps keep bacteria out while retaining moisture and preventing your left-overs from picking up other odors from your refrigerator.

Most left-overs can be stored safely in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Here is a chart from the USDA about recommended refrigerator times. For longer storage, freeze the packaged left-overs. Generally, these items can be frozen for 2-4 months. Although you can safely freeze them for a longer time, the food does tend to lose moisture and flavor. Here is another USDA link that talks more about freezing with more specific recommendations for time.

When thawing them, you still need to be aware of the danger zone. That is why it is not recommended to thaw items by sitting at room temperature. Rather, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. For faster but still safe thawing, use either a cold-water bath (make sure the leftovers are in a leak-proof package) or the microwave. Not all foods need to be thawed before re-heating. You can go directly from frozen to hot either on the stovetop or in the microwave.

One important caveat – when re-heating leftovers, you want to take them up to 165° as measured with a food thermometer. Not only will this temperature assure safety as far as bacteria is concerned but it will also be safe to re-freeze the item, if necessary.

How do you like to use your left-overs? Email me with your favorite ideas and I will share them with others!