Most of us are used to just heating left-over foods in the microwave to come up with an instant snack or meal. This makes food preparation more quick and convenient for us. You dont have to worry about getting home late and prolonging your familys hunger. In only a few minutes, you already have dinner. But are you sure that the food your keeping are still safe to eat?
It is very important to learn how to keep our food safe for us to eat. Here are some tips for safer food storage for your family:
For cold storage, store food in the refrigerator but make sure that its temperature is maintained at 41 F or below. Next, do not overstock you fridge. Let the air circulate freely to chill foods quickly. It is also very important to label food with their expiry dates especially if you have kids in your household.
Store frozen foods in moisture-proof containers to maintain food quality and to prevent cross-contamination. For left-over and for those which are removed from their original containers place them on air-tight containers to preserve its quality. Lastly, store chemicals like medicines in a separate area and make sure that kids wont be able to reach it.
For dry storage, which mostly consists of canned goods, flour, sugar, rice, and cereals, a temperature of 75 F is recommended. Maintain these items in room temperature. Always keep your dry food storage area clean. Maintain a cleaning schedule for shelves for food storage. This will ensure that your food is free from insects and rodents.
Check your shelves for items are near expiration or that already expired to avoid any poisoning. Store these food items away from your cleaning products, make sure that cabinets for your chemicals are far from your food storage to avoid any contamination and make sure its out of the reach of your children.
Keeping food storage is one thing to ensure the overall safety and health of your family so you better practice extreme caution in preparing and maintaining them. Follow these tips and you are well on your way towards survival and good health.
