Safe Food Storage Times and Temperatures
Good rules to follow:
Use a thermometer to measure food temperatures. Cook hamburger to 155 degrees F. for 15 seconds. Cook poultry to 180 degrees F. Don’t eat raw or undercooked eggs. Thoroughly cook all foods of animal origin. Thoroughly wash produce before eating.
Shelf Storage
Store foods in the coolest cabinets or pantry and away from appliances which produce heat. Many staples and canned foods have a relatively long shelf life, but buy only what you expect to use within the time recommended for each product. Put dates on the food packages that are not date coded and use the oldest first. Geographic area affects storage time. Warm and humid climates shorten the shelf-life of foods. Buy packaged food in fresh-looking packages. Dusty cans or torn labels may indicate old stock. Also check for pull dates. Carefully check dented cans for leakage and rust before buying. Do not purchase badly dented and bulging cans.
Refrigerator StorageStore food in the home refrigerator from 34 to 40°F (1 to 3°C). Foods spoil rapidly above 40°F (3°C). The temperature in frostless and self-defrosting refrigerators is fairly uniform throughout the cabinet, including the storage area in the door. In refrigerators that must be defrosted manually, the coldest area outside the freezing unit is the chill tray just below it. The area at the bottom of the cabinet is the warmest. The door and hydrator storage area are usually several degrees higher than the rest of the refrigerator. When air circulates in the refrigerator, the cooler air moves downward and forces the warmer air near the bottom to rise. The air motion dries out any uncovered or unwrapped food. In most refrigerators, with the control set for normal operation, the temperature in the general storage area is below 40°F (3°C). You can check the temperature in a refrigerator by placing a refrigerator thermometer at different locations in the cabinet. If the temperature is above 40°F (3°C), regulate the control to lower the temperatures. Frequent opening of the refrigerator door, especially on warm humid days, or an accumulation of thick frost on the freezing unit, raises the temperature of the refrigerator. Use food stored in the refrigerator quickly. Don’t depend on maximum storage time. Clean the refrigerator regularly to cut down on food odors. Remove spoiled foods immediately to prevent decay from spreading to other foods.
Freezer StorageThe best temperature for frozen food storage is at 0°F (-17°C). The temperature should not reach higher than 5°F (-15°C). Check the temperature with a thermometer, or use this rule of thumb: If the freezer can’t keep ice cream brick-solid, the temperature is above the recommended level. The freezing compartments of some home refrigerators are not designed to give a temperature of 0°F, the temperature needed for prolonged storage of frozen foods. Hold frozen foods in these compartments only a few days. In refrigerator freezers where temperature can be maintained at 0°F (-17°C) in the freezer cabinet, food may be kept for the same storage periods as in a freezer. Date food packages with an “expiration date” according to maximum storage time recommended if they are not date coded. Longer storage is not dangerous, but flavors and textures deteriorate. Package frozen foods in moisture-vapor-proof (MVP) packages or freezer containers. Holes in freezer packages cause freezer burn. When shopping, pick up frozen foods just before going to the checkouts. Purchase only the foods that are frozen solid. Place them in the home freezer as soon as possible. Cook or thaw according to label instructions. Place foods to be frozen in the coldest part of the freezer. Freeze no more than three pounds per cubic foot of freezer space within 24 hours. Keep the freezer full for best results. Also keep a written
SOURCE: Arizona Department of Health Services
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Posted by Sandy Bloom
on Jul 6 2008. Filed under Cooking News, Food, Healthy Eating.
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