Leftover Food: Re-heat and Live to Tell the Tale
We waste food all the time, not just at Christmas, Ramadan, or Passover.
We waste food all the time, not just at Christmas, Ramadan, or Passover. But it’s easy to plan your meals better and learn how to re-use cooked food safely.The statistics are truly shocking: About 17% of the total amount of food produced in the world is wasted — that's more than 930 million tons of food according to a UNEP Food Waste Index report from 2021 — and most of that waste (61%) happens in our homes.
That is shocking because at the very same time, 3.1 billion people on the planet cannot afford to buy or cook food for a healthy diet for themselves and their families.
Wasted food is also a matter of our wasting global resources — water, land and electricity, for instance, that's used in the production of food.
Festive holiday seasons are notorious for over-indulgence and lots of leftovers. Much of it ends up in the refrigerator, forgotten until spoiled by bacteria and mold, and then lands in the garbage.
But with a few simple tips, you can enjoy the festive food while also reducing food waste — all without getting food poisoning in the process.
What is food waste?
Food waste happens at all stages of the food chain — "from farm to fork" — but most of it happens in households: More than 54% of food is waste by you and me, 7% at wholesale and retail, and 9% in restaurants and food services.
All together, that's equivalent to 131 kg (288 pounds) per inhabitant per year.
How can I reduce my food waste?
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has an exhaustive 15-point list of tips on how to avoid wasting food. Here are a few useful ideas:
Buy only what you need: takes a bit of planning, but it's worth it.
Understand the difference between "best-before" and "use by": if it's passed the use-by date, don't eat it — or, put another way, if you buy something that's close to its use-by date in the shop, make sure you can consume it while it's still safe. And if your milk is passed its best-before date, smell it to determine whether it's off.
Store leftovers: use airtight containers to keep open food fresh in the fridge and ensure packets are closed to keep food fresher for longer and stop insects from getting in.
Eat leftovers, but safely: Leftovers can be frozen or "remixed" in a dish for the next day. Just make sure that when you do, re-heat leftover food so it becomes piping and steaming to kill the bacteria. If you re-heat a dish but still don't finish it, trash the rest — you should only reheat food once.
Food donations: sharing is caring — donate food to friends or neighbours you would otherwise not eat.
How can I store food safely?
Leftover food is a common source of food poisoning. It's important to observe the so-called 4 Cs when storing and eating leftover food to avoid getting an upset stomach:
Cleaning: keep your hands, work surfaces, utensils, chopping boards and kitchen cloths clean. It's common to "wash" raw meat under a running tap before cooking, but research shows this actually increases the risk of cross-contamination around the kitchen. If you do, wipe surfaces down and replace or wash cloths and tea towels regularly.
Chilling: store food in appropriate containers. Glass is good for meats — it's easy to wash well and less likely to scratch than plastic, leaving crevices where food remnants and bacteria can get lodged and grow.
Cooking: there are many, varied things to observe when cooking, especially meats. Use a cooking thermometer to check a meat is cooked through and use your eyes — if it looks raw, then it probably is (and inedible), and if you're cooking poultry, if there's any blood near the bone, it needs more time in the oven.
Cross-contamination: keep different types of foods — meat, fish, dairy, vegetables — separate to avoid bacterial growth spreading.
And clean out your fridge regularly, too.
How can I safely re-use leftover food?
Cooking leftovers is the best way to kill any funghi or bacteria that could cause foodborne illnesses.
The US Department of Health & Human Services has a useful chart that lists how long you can store food in a refrigerator and in a freezer. And the advice varies from produce to produce.
When it comes to cooked food, the general advice is that leftovers should be used within 3-4 days.
Refrigeration does not stop bacterial and fungal growth, but slows it down.
There are two kinds of organisms that cause food to go off: pathogenic bacteria that cause food poisoning, and spoilage bacteria and other organisms that cause food to develop bad smells, tastes and textures.
Foodborne, pathogenic bacteria include E.coli, listeria and salmonella.
Spoilage organisms include yeasts, molds, fungi, and bacteria.
As with any foods, raw or cooked, first use your eyes and senses of smell and touch to check whether the food in your fridge is still safe to eat.
No matter whether it's the first time you're cooking a dish or you're re-heating leftovers, always cook your food well. There's no need to burn it, but cook it until it's piping hot and you see steam rise for at least a few minutes.
Keep turning or stirring the food as it heats or reheats to make sure it is cooked evenly and all the way through.
Then, sit down and enjoy!
Edited by: Fred Schwaller
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 27, 2023 04:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).