Safe Food Storage
Achieving safe food storage and knowing
that your food supply is safe to eat is not difficult. You don't
want your food to make you sick. So, you take a few basic
precautions and you can eat in peace.
The first place you want to secure your
food supply is in the refrigerator. A clean, well maintained
refrigerator will last for 10 to 20 years without problems. Your
refrigerator should always keep foods cold at a steady
temperature between 34 degrees Fahrenheit to 40 degrees
Fahrenheit. If you are a Celsius person that's about 1.1 degree
Celsius to about 4.5 degrees Celsius. You should use a
refrigerator thermometer and check the temperature in the bottom
and the top of your refrigerator. There will be slight variation
between the vegetable crisper area (the bottom), the door
storage area, and the top.
Your freezer should keep foods frozen at
approximately 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius) to 5
degrees Fahrenheit ( -15 degrees Celsius). Be sure to only keep
foods frozen for as long as recommended and use them before
that. While frozen foods rarely spoil they do degrade and get
"freezer burn". foods dry out, discolor and will sometimes get
an odd taste if kept in the freezer too long. This can also be a
sign that the foods are improperly wrapped before being frozen.
Don't keep foods right up until the
maximum time before expiration if you want the best safe food
storage. Try to use them before that date. Be sure to check
foods for discoloration, mold and excessive moisture before
eating them.
When
you cook foods be sure to cook meat to the recommended
temperatures. Undercooked meat is a common source of food borne
illness. Hamburger should always be cooked medium to well done.
If you use a meat thermometer that's 155 degrees Fahrenheit or
about 68 degrees Celsius. Chicken or poultry should always be
cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 75 degrees Celsius. Pork
should be cooked at 160 degrees Fahrenheit or 60 degrees
Celsius. A good meat cooking chart can be found at
http://www.cooksrecipes.com/tips/meat-cooking-temperature-chart.html
Store dry goods and
other canned foods in airtight containers in a dark, dry, secure
area free of rodent and insect access. Be sure to check canned
goods for dents, leakage, rust and other signs that the contents
may be contaminated or spoiled. If in doubt, throw it out. Keep
an eye on expiration dates and be sure to use canned goods and
other foods before they expire.
When eating home canned goods be sure that
they are clearly labeled and dated for when they were canned.
Check with your local agriculture extension for how long home
canned goods are generally safe. The national center for home
food preservation recommends that you consume home canned goods
within a year.
Be
sure to prepare your foods in a clean kitchen and wash your
hands before and after handling food. For more tips on safe food
storage you can surf the Internet and find lots of good advice
from the USDA and the local agriculture extension offices of the
USDA.