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During hot weather, it's crucial to pay extra attention to food preservation to prevent bacterial attacks leading to poisoning or wasting money on disposing of spoiled food...
1. Proper Food Preservation in Hot Weather
During hot weather, it's crucial to pay extra attention to food preservation to prevent bacterial attacks leading to poisoning or wasting money on disposing of spoiled food.
Cooked Food
According to Chef Huynh Nhu from Abai restaurant, it's important to reboil leftover food and let it cool before storing it in the refrigerator. Store each type of food separately, using food wrap to seal it tightly before placing it in the fridge. It's best to use food containers with tight lids to prevent different types of food from mixing. Reboil thoroughly before reheating leftover dishes and only reheat them once. Nutritionists also advise that soups should only be stored in the fridge for about 24 hours. Stews and salty dishes should not be kept for more than three days and should be stored in the coldest part of the fridge. Many housewives have a habit of storing a lot of leftover food in the fridge and forgetting about it for days. To avoid leaving food for too long and mixing it up, it's advisable to write the date on the lid of the container.
Fried foods, such as spring rolls... should be fully immersed in oil when placed in the fridge to prevent them from drying out.
Avoid leaving processed foods for more than two hours at normal room temperature. It's best to boil, let it cool, and store it in the refrigerator immediately after use. If the family doesn't have a refrigerator or during power outages, leftover food can be stored in a cooler or in food containers surrounded by ice. Place in the fridge as soon as possible. Never use foods that have a foul smell or abnormal color.
Frozen Food
For families who go to the market once a day to stock up for several days, according to Chef Huynh Nhu, it's best to clean fresh foods immediately after returning from the market to minimize the risk of food being affected by hot weather. Keep meat and fresh fish in the freezer for safe storage. To avoid multiple thawing which can cause food contamination, divide the meat and fish into small portions suitable for each family meal. Note that food containers must be tightly sealed to prevent any liquid from leaking into the fridge. Clean and rinse meat and fish before placing them in the freezer.
For green vegetables, remove the stems, damaged leaves, and rinse thoroughly, then place them in a food bag (you can use plastic bags), tie the bag tightly before storing it in the fridge. Green leafy vegetables are less tolerant to cold so housewives need to pay attention to where they store vegetables in the fridge. Cabbages, leafy greens... should not be kept for more than a week, the best usage period is within three days from the purchase date.
Principles of Fresh Food Preservation
In principle, fresh food can be stored for up to a year if frozen from -180 to -300, freezing at -360 can preserve it for up to 18 months. However, nutritionists advise that when left for too long, some enzymes in the food will self-degrade and transform, causing the food to lose some nutrients, soluble fats... Therefore, the maximum storage time in the freezer for beef, lamb, goat is from 7 - 10 days; pork, chicken, duck for about 7 days. As for fish, it's best to use it within 3 days from being stored in the freezer for fresher taste.
Among the 10 golden rules always recommended by the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) is to carefully cover food after cooking, avoiding mixing raw and cooked food.
