Make a New Year’s Resolution to make your home food safe.
- Label the leftovers that you store in your refrigerator. They should only be kept 3-4 days before they are discarded.
- Freeze leftovers. If you have more than you can use in a couple of days, freeze part of it right away to use later. Choose good quality containers to help to make them freezer safe.
- The freezer in your refrigerator should be used as a ‘checking account’ not a ‘savings account.’ In other words, it should be for short term storage, not long term. Foods should be labeled and have a plan for use within a couple of weeks, possible months. If there’s not enough to feed your family, pack the leftovers in the lunch you take to work.
- My personal favorite from 2011 is to use a thermometer and check the temperature of meat that you are cooking to optimize flavor and avoid over- or under-cooking.
- Clean your kitchen counters with a sanitizing solution made of bleach and water – just 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 gallon of water is sufficient concentration to eliminate 99.99% of food borne pathogens. You can also use this solution to clean all the door knobs in your house. And don’t forget the telephone!
Here’s to your safe and healthy 2012!
