Watch over those leftovers to stay safe
Print Edition
SHANGHAI residents need to be cautious about perishable leftovers as temperatures soar, local food safety experts say.
Gu Zhenhua, head of the Shanghai Food Safety Federation and former deputy chief of the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration, offers his suggestions on keeping leftovers safe:
• Eat food immediately after cooking. It’s the healthiest way to prevent nitrates and bacteria accumulating.
• Leave food at room temperature no more than two hours, especially during the rainy season and hot season.
• Refrigeration or freezing is the best way to preserve freshly cooked food. Cooked and uncooked foods should be kept separate to prevent cross-contamination;
• Food stored in the fridge should be properly sealed or covered. Preferably with a re-usable container and not plastic wrap;
• Protein and fat from unpacked food can go bad easily and contaminate other food in the fridge.
But what kind of leftovers are safe to be refrigerated, and which are not?
• Cooked animal meat and root vegetables — such as potatoes and carrots — are the safest leftovers. After taking them out of the refrigerator, it’s best to reheat them for at least 30 seconds to kill lingering bacteria. It is best to reheat only once;
• Eggs require special care. If not cooked fully, don’t keep them. Boiled, poached and fried eggs can be kept but be cautious;
• Vegetables with green leaves are the least nutritious leftovers. They tend to lose vitamins when they are re-heated and gain nitrogen — too much of which can be carcinogenic;
• Seafood is also highly perishable. Sometimes questionable smells and tastes in leftover seafood can be masked by soy sauces or ingredients.
• Eating crabs, shrimp and fish that have spoiled can damage the liver and kidneys, or cause food poisoning.
“The main problems with leftovers are the reproduction of microorganisms and the accumulation of nitrites, which cannot be eliminated,” said Gu. “Half-cooked eggs, braised foods and bean products lead to bacterial overproduction; cold dishes, tremella and other edible fungi often cause excess of nitrites.”
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