Blog Disclaimer: This blog details a rather grotesque finding in my refrigerator so you may want to skim over the first paragraph if you have a weak stomach.
A few days ago we invited a couple of friends over for dinner. Nothing fancy, just a simple meal of grilled meat and vegetables. (It really was more of an excuse to sit and chat with people we hadn’t seen in a while.) I hadn’t prepared an appetizer (like I said, this was a very casual get together), and the grilling was taking longer than I had anticipated so I figured I would simply set out a bowl of chips and salsa so our guests would have something to munch on while they waited for the main meal. I thought of chips and salsa because I still had a gigantic container of salsa that I had bought at Sam’s Club a while back. The last time we used it I checked the expiration date and thought, “Wow, this thing will be good until Labor Day.” Boy, was I wrong! When I removed the plastic lid I was shocked to see a thick layer of green and white sludge covering the salsa as if it were a wax coating over a new jar of strawberry preserves. What’s more, the mold had not only spawned black and gray spots, but several spider web-like formations also covered one side of the salsa container (perhaps, they were trying to escape the stomach-turning, vulgar funk that had invaded the dip). UGH! Writing about it makes me feel nauseous all over again.
Okay, enough of that. The point of this blog is to offer advice on how to avoid this embarrassing and disgusting incident from happening to you. After I recovered from discovering the science experiment that was growing on the salsa, I remembered some advice that I had received from a woman I interviewed while I was a reporter for a local television station. She worked for the University of Wisconsin-Extension and helped me on a story I did about knowing when to throw out holiday leftovers. It was so long ago I had forgotten all of her simple (and cute) tips (if I had thought about them sooner I could have avoided the salsa incident).
Here are the tips I do remember:
More Than Two Is Bad For You. That just means that you should refrigerate perishable foods so that the total time they’re at room temperature is less than two hours. Perishable foods include: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu; dairy products; cooked pasta, rice and vegetables; fresh, peeled and/or cut fruits and vegetables.
Cool it! Contrary to popular belief (Sorry Dad!), health experts recommend that you refrigerate foods while they’re still warm. For example, if you have enough leftover lasagna to feed an army, store it in a container and leave the cover slightly cracked until the food has cooled. For the quickest cooling, refrigerate foods in shallow containers (no more than three inches deep).
Forty Degrees Please! Keep your refrigerator between 32F and 40F; temperatures in this range slow bacterial growth. Keep your freezer at 0F or lower, which stops most bacterial growth. Keep in mind freezing does not kill bacteria. Purchase a thermometer and occasionally test your refrigerator and freezer to monitor the temperature.
Avoid Delay, Eat Within A Day! For safety and quality, eat refrigerated leftovers within a day or two. It’s a good idea to label all packaged food with a name and date (some re-useable plastic containers come with built-in label areas, otherwise just use make your own–a piece of masking tape works just fine). That way you’ll be able to properly identify that piece of mold-infested meatloaf and know that it has been sitting in the back of your refrigerator since March.
When In Doubt, Toss It Out! You can’t always see, smell or taste bacteria that cause foodborne illness. Go with your gut instinct—if food smells or tastes strange throw it out. In some cases it is better to rely on your senses than on the printed expiration date (note my salsa incident). In addition, it is a good idea to promptly clean up refrigerator spills, so they don’t contaminate other foods. Finally, don’t be like my husband–never taste any food that you suspect might be unsafe—you never know, that taste might be your last.