Tag: leftovers

Is That Food Safe? Your Guide to Shelf Life

Most of us have experienced the scenario where we open up the refrigerator to find something moldy looking back at us. These items are often lingering at the back of the refrigerator. Still, even when it is full view, it can be difficult to determine the optimum food shelf life inside your refrigerator. Here we’ll explore a few basic food storage standards to save you from upset stomachs and wasting money on spoiled foods.

Basic Food Safety Tips

Before we delve into the optimum shelf lifespans for all the items inside your refrigerator, there are some basic safety tips to help preserve your foods.

  • Avoid Crowding: To keep your foods properly chilled and at the correct temperature, cold air must be able to circulate around the items. While keeping your refrigerator full is more energy efficient, you should avoid crowding or overpacking.
  • Immediately Wipe Up Spills: Wiping spills quickly will not only help to avoid bacterial growth, but it will also help to prevent cross contamination. Many spills are often drips from thawing meats or other raw foods that can easily contaminate cooked dishes that will only be reheated.
  • Keep Everything Covered: All foods inside your refrigerator should be in sealed storage bags or in covered containers. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can forget about everything, so be sure to check leftovers each day for signs of spoilage.
  • Monitor Food Expiration Dates: If any item has passed its “use by” or “best before” date, it is a good idea to discard it. If food looks questionable, it is best to err on the side of caution and throw it out.
  • Put Groceries Away Within the Hour: When you return from the grocery store, you should act quickly to ensure all your refrigerated items are properly stored. If the temperature is above 90ºf, there is a one hour limit before foods can spoil.
  • Refrigerate Leftovers Within Two Hours: There is a common misconception that you shouldn’t put hot food in the refrigerator. Unfortunately, allowing food to sit on the countertop for hours can encourage bacteria. If you have any leftovers, they should be refrigerated or possibly frozen within two hours. If you’re concerned about hot food, divide leftovers into smaller portions, so they can cool more quickly.

Shelf Life Guidelines

Most foods can be divided into groups, which can help you to determine the optimum shelf life.

Miscellaneous:

  • Opened condiments: Up to 6 months
  • Tuna: 2 to 4 days

Dairy:

You’ll need to use your sense of smell. Dairy items tend to develop a bad smell when they go bad, so anything that has a bad smell should go straight into the garbage.

  • Milk: Up to 7 days
  • Soft Cheese: Up to 7 days
  • Eggs: 3 weeks
  • Yoghurt: 7 to 14 days

Fruits:

Fruits can go soft and mushy when they start to go bad, but you may notice some items start to go black.

  • Bananas: 2 days
  • Melons: 1 week
  • Avocados: Up to 10 days

Vegetables:

Like fruits, vegetables can start to go mushy or change color.

  • Fresh lettuce: Up to 5 days
  • Tomatoes: Up to 1 week
  • Cucumber: 1 week
  • Onions: 2 months

Leftovers:

Leftovers tend to be pushed to the back of your refrigerator, so you need to ensure you keep a good eye on what is lingering there.

  • Meat Leftovers: Up to 4 days
  • Pizza: 3 to 4 days
  • Gravy: 1 to 2 days

Meats:

In addition to developing a bad odor, the most obvious sign of bad meat is changing color.

  • Chicken: Up to 2 days
  • Steak: Up to 5 days
  • Fresh Hamburger: Up to 2 days
  • Pork Chops: 3 to 5 days
  • Fresh Fish: Up to 2 days
  • Bacon: Up to 7 days
  • Fresh Sausage: Up to 2 days
  • Lunchmeats: Open- 3 to 5 days, unopened up to 2 weeks

If your refrigerator is struggling to keep your produce fresh, it may be time for an upgrade. You can explore your options with our online collection or speak to a home appliance expert for further help and guidance.

Top Tips to Save Energy When Cooking and Preparing Meals

Most homeowners are keen to save energy, but one way you may not have considered is saving energy in your kitchen, particularly when you’re cooking and preparing meals. Understanding your cooking habits will help you to make the best use of your energy efficient appliances to help you save on your energy bills and enjoy a greener home.

Use the Right Size Pans

When you’re cooking on your stove, it is crucial to use the right size pan or pot. Estimates suggest that a six inch pan being used on an eight inch burner can waste 40% of the heat produced by the burner. You should also keep lids on your pans or pots to trap the heat inside and allow you to use less energy. Although these may seem like small choices, it can add up to significant energy savings.

Regularly Clean Your Stovetop

Your burner efficiency can be dramatically reduced if your burner pans have been blackened from heavy use. You can avoid wasting energy by keeping your stovetop sparkling clean and shiny. Regular cleaning will prevent a build up, and you may find it more enjoyable to use.

Reduce Your Overall Cooking Time

The less time spent cooking, the less energy typically used, so try to choose energy efficient cooking methods and plan ahead to reduce your cooking time. Defrost dinner in the refrigerator overnight rather than using your microwave. Try to wait until the last few minutes to preheat your oven and try to stagger multiple pans to improve the airflow and reduce your cook time. You should also avoid opening your oven door frequently to check your food, it is not only poor general cooking practice, but it wastes a great deal of energy.

You can also reduce your cooking time and make your life easier by making additional portions. Cooking a double batch will use similar amounts of energy, but they can be used another day or frozen for later use. Frozen home-cooked meals also provide a great alternative to take out, as they are less expensive and tend to be healthier.

Upgrade Your Cookware

Research shows that a warped pan can waste 50% of stovetop heat, whereas a flat pan can use almost all the energy produced. Additionally, high-quality cookware made using highly conductive materials can allow you to use 25% less heat. An excellent choice for oven cookware is ceramic or glass, while copper bottom pans are highly efficient for stovetop cooking.

Love Your Leftovers

Leftovers need not be tired food from the day before. When you cook in bulk, you can freeze single serving portions such as pasta sauce that can be reheated in your microwave or toaster oven. While this may use more energy, the shorter cook time will make it more energy efficient. Just remember to coat your pasta in olive oil before you save it in your refrigerator to avoid needing to boil a fresh pot of water.

Choose the Right Appliances

There is a balance between choosing a microwave, toaster oven and oven. Smaller appliances can allow you to use less energy to prepare a smaller meal. If you do use your full-size oven, you can bake a cake at the same time as cooking dinner.

Depending on the dish you’re preparing, you may find a countertop appliance offers greater energy efficiency and convenience. For example, a pressure cooker or rice cooker could make it easier to prepare your food and avoid using a larger, energy-sucking appliance.

If you have concerns about the energy efficiency of your kitchen appliances and are considering upgrading, you can explore your options with this online collection or speak to a home appliance expert for a more specialized service.