Running and managing a kitchen is not easy. Stacking a variety of food items to deliver three (perhaps more) meals a day — 365 days a year — is essential in every household. But then again, storing all foods comes with its own dos and don’ts. Be it raw foods, cooked leftovers or frozen foods, storage is an essential part of kitchen management. However, an improper storage practice can cause more harm than good. It is a known fact that if food is not stored properly, various bacteria can develop which can cause foodborne illnesses. One can only take great care when storing food, and there are some common mistakes that almost every one of us is guilty of making.
Here are 5 common food storage mistakes – how to avoid them:
1. Using Plastic Containers
Most people make a mistake by storing food in a plastic container for a long time. The health hazards of plastics are not unknown. Still, we ignore and use plastic containers which are easy to handle, easily available and cheap to buy. Try using glass or steel containers to keep your stored food healthy.
2. Not using air-tight containers
While there are many foods that can live a long life without an air-tight container, many foods spoil when moisture seeps out of the air. Get a grip on how to store a particular food. Fruits and vegetables, biscuits, snacks, spices and other such food items require air-tight containers to stay safe when cut.
(Also read: The 5 Best Airtight Containers to Buy for Your Kitchen Pantry,
3. Not Checking the Temperature
You must know what to store in the fridge and what to put in the freezer. If the cooked items are to be used after several days, then it is better to store them in the freezer instead of the fridge. Same for frozen foods and ready meals. The FDA recommends keeping refrigerator temperatures at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and freezer temperatures to be 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Saving Thawed Frozen Foods
We all thaw a large chunk of meat, or other frozen food, use a portion of it, and store it in the freezer again. You should be aware that frozen food, once thawed and refrozen, loses its potent properties.
(Also read: Follow these 5 genius tricks to store food in the freezer,
5. It is wrong to reheat food
We can all accept this mistake. Do you often thaw frozen foods in the microwave instead of letting them sit at room temperature? Do you heat food in a plastic container instead of a glass container in the microwave? You already know where you are going wrong.
The care of your health is in your hands. Try to avoid stale foods, and if you must store foods, do so properly.
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