According to Food Health Experts, You've Been Storing Your Restaurant Leftovers *All Wrong*
I can’t count the number of times I’ve taken home a juicy doggy bag after a girls’ day out or (a beautifully child-free) lunch with my husband, and then gone on to leave it on the kitchen counter for the rest of the day. To say this — and many other of our not-so-great leftover habits — is a no-no is an understatement, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
One of the very first things to note when it comes to proper storage of your leftover grub is: The quicker you get it into the fridge or freezer, the better your chances of enjoying that meal later on. A report by the USDA says, “If you plan to go to a movie or be out and about after eating at a restaurant, then you should skip taking the leftovers.” Why? It’s all about bacterial growth. The faster food gets into the refrigerator, the lower the likelihood of it growing harmful bacteria - especially in warmer climates like ours.
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“If you plan to go to a movie or be out and about after eating at a restaurant, then you should skip taking the leftovers.”
- USDA
How you store your leftovers is just as important as when. According to the USDA, “Meat and poultry leftovers that are handled properly may be safely refrigerated at 40 F up to 4 days. Eggs and lunch meats that are handled properly may be safely stored at 40 F up to 5 days.” For best quality, it’s recommended that cooked meat and poultry leftovers should be kept in sealed containers and can be stored in the freezer at 0 F or below for up to 6 months (yay!).
When it comes to re-heating your beloved pad Thai, burger or fried rice, it’s also essential to place your food on a microwave-safe plate (think glass, ceramic and microwave-safe plastic) and spread it evenly. Remember to stir if halfway through heating to avoid those dreaded cold spots, which tend to appear just as you’re really getting into that ₦7,000 bowl of pasta!
Thinking of using a slow cooker to warm up your food, for some reason? It’s a bad idea, according to the USDA, because of something we should all know more about — ‘The Danger Zone’. “Warning—reheating in slow cookers isn’t recommended because foods may be sitting too long in the "Danger Zone" (40 F - 140 F).”
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Chances are you’re never going to bother using a food thermometer to make sure your food has reached the perfect internal temp (because who on Earth has that kind of time?), but taking a handful of these suggestions on board can go a long way in helping us all live more health-conscious lives, one bowl of Tupperware at a time.