Keeping Food At Its Best
28
Keeping Food Safe to Eat
Most food-borne illness is caused by bacteria such as
staphylococcus, salmonella, e-coli and clostridium
botulinum (the bacteria that causes botulism). These
bacteria grow rapidly at temperatures between 40°F
(4°C)
and 140°F
(60°C)
, a range that’s called the “danger zone”.
Never leave food in the danger zone for more than two
hours. When the bacteria have multiplied to the millions in
warm temperatures, they cause illness. Some bacteria
cause flu-like symptoms, while others cause serious
illness or even death. Young children, the elderly and
people who are already ill are more likely to become sick
from food poisoning.
To reduce your risk of food-borne illness, use the following
techniques to keep your food safe to eat:
WHEN YOU’RE SHOPPING
•
Place packages of raw meat, seafood or poultry in
plastic bags to keep them from dripping on other
foods.
•
Shop for meat, seafood and poultry last. Do not leave
these foods in a hot car when you’ve finished
shopping. Take along a cooler in hot weather or when
you have to travel long distances.
•
Check ‘use by’ and ‘sell by’ dates on foods to make
sure they’re fresh. Use extra care when buying deli
food. Buy only the amount you will use in 1–2 days.
Discard hot or cold deli food that has been at room
temperature for more than two hours.
WHEN YOU STORE FOOD
•
Monitor temperatures of the refrigerator and freezer
sections on the electronic control panel of your
Sub-Zero unit. Keep the refrigerator temperature at
40°F
(4°C)
or below and freezer temperature at
0°F
(-18°C)
.
•
Follow the recommended refrigerator and freezer
storage times and temperatures in this guide.
•
Store raw meat, poultry and seafood separate from
other foods. Keep juices from these packages from
dripping on other food.
•
Never taste food that looks or smells strange to test its
freshness. Discard it.
•
For refrigerator storage, leave raw meat, poultry and
seafood in its original wrapper unless it is torn.
Repeated handling can introduce bacteria to these
foods.
•
Wrap food stored in the refrigerator in foil or plastic
wrap, or place it in plastic bags or airtight containers to
keep it from drying out. Date all packages.
•
For freezer storage, use freezer wrap, freezer-quality
plastic bags or aluminum foil over the commercial wrap
if foods will be stored in the freezer for more than a
couple of months. This minimizes dehydration and
quality loss. Single layers of aluminum foil may tear
and cause freezer burn.
