Most people understand that cooking food will kill harmful bacteria. But did you know that quickly cooling leftovers is also important to ensure food safety? Failure to cool foods properly is often a contributing factor of foodborne illness.
Cooking food does kill harmful bacteria, but some harmful bacteria have the ability to produce spores during the cooking process as a survival mechanism. These spores return to their original state, as living bacteria as the temperature of the food cools and reaches a comfortable range for the bacteria. These bacteria can grow to dangerous levels if leftovers are not chilled to 45 degrees F or less in a timely manner.
To chill food properly:
- Keep cooked food in the refrigerator.
- Put leftovers in shallow pans (less than three inches) and place in the refrigerator immediately after the meal. Large or bulky foods should be divided into smaller pans so they cool more quickly.
- Food that are cooked 8 or more hours in advance of a meal, should be put in shallow pans and placed in the refrigerator. Again, divide large or bulky foods into smaller portions.
- Don't overload your refrigerator. Putting a large quantity of hot foods in your refrigerator may reduce its ability to chill food quickly.
- Use ice to chill. In some foods, such as soup, ice can be directly added to the food. Or you can put your food (in its container) in an ice bath. Make an ice bath by combining ice and water in a bowl larger than the food container.
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