4 minutes reading time
(736 words)
How to cook and store just about anything
We all spend so much time trying to learn how to count macros and calories. We search for recipes or quick ideas of how to throw a meal together when we are short on time. But how much do we really know about food storage, especially when it comes to those leftovers, love them or hate them, that we usually end up with them?
During my internship, I worked with Nutrition and Health Education Resources where I was asked to create a presentation about food safety for the providers of in-home childcare. There was so much information to put together. How to store food before cooking, after cooking, or even how to cook the food to the right temperature before eating. While researching, I learned some pretty shocking statistics.
Did you know?
1 in 6 Americans get sick each year as a result of foodborne illnesses?
Centers for Disease Control
That's 48 million people getting sick, 128, 000 having to be hospitalized, and 3,000 dying! 3,000 people die because of food safety. Leave it to the bacteria, viruses, parasites, molds, toxins, contaminants, and allergens, and without the right info, we end up with devastating effects. The list is long my friend but the great thing is that it's pretty easy to prevent foodborne illness from hitting your family. The CDC recommends following these 4 steps.
- Clean - wash your hands and surfaces often
- Separate - don't cross-contaminate
- Cook to proper temp
- Chill - Refrigerate promptly
Washing your hands and not touching raw meat with produce or ready-to-eat food is pretty basic knowledge. But what about cooking to the proper temp and storage?
That is where most of us struggle and that my friend is why I am here to offer you some peace of mind!
Let me introduce you to the FoodKeeper app. The FoodKeeper helps you understand food and beverage storage and that includes information before you eat it, preparing it to eat, and storing the leftovers afterward. This app is so helpful when it comes to maximizing the freshness and quality of items, which of course helps to keep your food and drinks fresh longer. No more sniff tests or wondering if something is still good to eat and taking a chance. You can access the program directly online by clicking here. It is also available as a mobile app for Android and Apple devices. The mobile app does have a few more features that I think are so cool!
For example, the app will send you notifications about the most recent food recalls. No more waiting to catch something on the news. Find out the deets as soon as they are released. Now I'll warn you, there are a lot of recalls out there. Just do me a favor, and don't start ignoring them, like we tend to do when we see those notifications so often. Take that quick second to review and see if the recall affects something you have in your fridge or pantry. If not, move on about your day. If so, you'll find all the info you need on how to proceed.
Another super cool feature and my favorite feature really is the ability to set reminders, right into your calendar!
Set food storage reminders right into your calendar!
Yep, you can add a reminder to your calendar for how long something stays in the refrigerator or freezer from the date of purchase. Wondering about ground beef? 1-2 days in the refrigerator and 3-4 months in the freezer. Simply click the ADD TO CALENDAR button under either date, pick your preferred calendar and get an event added that reads something like: "Remember to use 'Beef' added on September 18'". The calendar event is set for Dec 18 - Jan 18 because I chose the selection for frozen beef which has a life of 3-4 months.
NOW TELL ME HOW COOL IS THAT? Okay maybe I'm the only person out there who LOVES scheduling, organization, tasks, reminders, and all the things, but come on .. you have to admit that's pretty darn awesome!
So check it out and let me know what you think.
