How to Avoid Food Spoilage During Summer
Summer affords us many wonderful opportunities to eat to our heart's content. There will be plenty of barbecues and outdoor parties, fresh fruits to enjoy, and all those summer favorites like hot dogs, steamers, potato salad, watermelon and ice cream. But with the heat turned up, summer can also increase the likelihood of food spoilage.
Here's how to ensure everyone can enjoy some good summer fare without requiring a trip to the ER for food poisoning.
Watch out for the mayonnaise based salads - What would a cookout be without mayonnaisey salads? Potato salad, macaroni salad and coleslaw are all summer favorites. But when the temperature rises, so does the likelihood of salmonella poisoning, especially if the food will be set out in the heat for a good part of the day. To avoid problems, put mayo-based foods on ice. Better still, sub out the mayo with an oil and vinegar based recipe.
Keep meats and cheese for burgers refrigerated until just before grilling time - Coolers work perfectly for this purpose, especially if you're cooking for a crowd. You can fill up an entire cooler's worth of meats and put them on ice. This way, you won't have the stress of running to the kitchen and back outside again with plates of meat to cook up in a hurry.
Marinades keep pathogens away - Marinades are typically made with vinegar or citrus, and have salt added. Not only do they make meat and fish tender and delicious, but they actually prevent food from spoiling. So if you plan to host a cookout, definitely mix up your favorite marinade. Let the meat soak it in for at least several hours, better if overnight.
Fish pose the highest risk - so put yours on ice until right before it's time to cook. If the seafood and fish dishes don't get eaten right away, store them back in the fridge otherwise they'll be no good as leftovers.
Speaking of leftovers... toss them within 4 days. Some say that rice stays good in the refrigerator for 10 days. But why take chances after having the food out for so long on a hot day? When it doubt, throw it out, always seems to be a good rule of thumb when dealing with party leftovers.
See you tomorrow to discover another frugal tip to enjoy your summer!
Your happy WAHM, Stephanie Gilbert
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