by Claudia Kwan
FoodConnect Vancouver
claudia@foodconnect.com

With food prices the way they are, I would be surprised if I were the only one taking a second look at things that may have spent a little too long in the fridge, and gambling on them still being okay to eat. You know what I’m talking about: those vegetables that are a little wilted around the edges, the cheese with a couple of spots of mold, the chicken that’s acquired a little fridge aroma...

“When in doubt, throw it out,” says Nick Losito, the regional director of health protection for the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. “It’s not worth the risk of getting sick.” Beyond that basic rule of thumb however, they are general guidelines when it comes to specific foods to be both thrifty and safe.

Let’s start off with the leftover conundrum: allow them to cool to room temperature or not before storing in the fridge? “Get the leftovers into the fridge as soon as possible in small containers, and no later than 2 hours after they were cooked,” Losito says. Turns out the longer you leave it out, the higher the chance the food could become an incubator for nasties like e.coli, shigella, or salmonella.

As long as the containers are the right type (shallow—no more than 1 or 2 inches thick), the food will cool properly in a fridge that’s working at four degrees Celsius or lower.

Generally, give anything that’s been in the fridge for four days or more the sniff test before you dig in, especially seafood. An unpleasant odour indicates the decomposition process is underway, leaving you a prime candidate for food poisoning if you ignore the news your nose is sending you.

Fresh meat should be cooked to 74C or 160F to kill off anything that’s lurking around. If you have something like a steak that’s too big, cut off the extra portion and freeze it. It'll be safe to eat if you thaw and cook it properly. The freezer isn't a miracle device though—the quality and perhaps even the nutritional content of things will start diminishing if they're left in there too long. (ie you should start digging out anything that's been in there more than 12 months and giving it the old heave-ho).

Even deli meat can be a hazard if it’s parked in the fridge more than three or four days. “There are preservatives like sodium nitrite in deli meat that help delay decomposition,” Losito says. “But that doesn’t help with decontamination, if the person who originally handled it perhaps introduced bacteria.”

In general with dairy, the smell test is pretty accurate, and the best before dates are usually a pretty good guideline to shelf life. Fruit and vegetables also tend to let you know if they’re past the point of no return, and cooking certain vegetables thoroughly is recommended as a general safety guideline anyway.

Eggs are an interesting conundrum. “They’ve been called nature’s perfect package, and with proper refrigeration, should be safe for two weeks,” Losito smiles. (I’ve had some in the fridge for a month before with no problems.) But if they’ve been boiled in the shell, you probably don’t want to keep them around as long. Air’s been introduced into the egg, and the greying of the yolk indicates the decomposition process has begun.

For more handy hints, head here.

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