Food Education

DIY Food Handling And Food Storage Tips For The Holiday

It's Thanksgiving again, and Christmas is right around the corner, so I thought I would share a few essential points provided by the USDA regarding the handling of turkey. I also would like to share some tips on refrigerating/freezing and reheating leftovers from holiday meals.

1. After you have purchased your frozen turkey, try to get home as soon as possible and store it in the freezer.

2. While you are doing what is considered "the big thaw," it's recommended that you keep turkeys at a safe temperature.

3. A turkey is considered safe indefinitely as long as it is kept frozen.

4. If there were any bacteria present before a turkey was frozen, they could start to grow again as soon as it begins to thaw.

The following are the 3 safe ways to thaw food, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA):-

1. The refrigerator
2. In cold water
3. In the Microwave Oven

Unsafe Temperature

Question

Is it safe to leave a package of frozen meat or poultry on a counter thawing for more than 2hrs?

Answer

According to the United States Department of Agriculture(USDA), it's not sage because while the center of the meat might still be frozen, the outer layer is in the danger zone(at a temperature between 40-140F deg), which is ideal for the rapid growth of bloodborne bacteria.

Good Food Handling Practice

How to Keep Your Leftovers Safe

1. First, remember the "Two-Hour Rule."

What's The Two-Hour Rule?

According to the USDA, Perishable items should be refrigerated within two hours of being out of the oven or refrigerator.

Why?

After two hours, perishable food enters the "Danger Zone" (between 40 F and 140F), the temperature at which bacteria can multiply rapidly and cause food to become unsafe.

 2. Perishable food should be discarded if left out for longer than two hours.

Keep Your Holiday Meals Leftovers Safe By Doing The Following:-

• Divide your Thanksgiving and Christmas leftover foods into small portions and store the leftover in shallow containers in the refrigerator. You should consume it within 4 days or freeze it for later use. 

Safe Temperature To Reheat Your Leftover

• Make sure your reheated leftovers reach a temperature of 165 deg F as measured with a food thermometer.
• Safely bring sauces, soups, and gravies to a rolling boil.

How to Microwave Leftovers Safely

When Reheating In the Microwave Do the Following:-

1. Arrange food items evenly in a microwave-safe or ceramic dish and add a bit of liquid or water, if needed, before covering it.
2. Rotate the food for even heating.
3. Keep in mind that Microwaves do have cold spots, so it's recommended that you check the internal temperature of the food in multiple sections with a food thermometer after allowing a resting time(3minutes).

What is Rest Time?

It's the amount of time the food product remains at the final temperature after you remove it from a grill, oven, or another heat source.

The Significance of the Three Minutes Rest

 

After the meat is removed from the heat source, during those first three minutes of sitting or resting, its temperature either remains unchanged or continues to rise, which destroys harmful bacteria.  

Also, the internal juices are more liquid when the meat is hot; as a result, if you cut into a very hot piece of meat immediately after removing it from the heat source, all of that liquid will drain out. However, If you allow it to relax, the juice will be redistributed throughout the meat, making it more tender and juicer.

The Truth About Frozen Foods

The foods will remain safe for consumption if stored at 0 and below degrees F continually for a very long time. Only the quality of the food will degrade if kept frozen for too long. However, according to the FDA, if stored at 0 deg F or lower for a reasonable amount of time, they will not lose their vitamin content, color, flavor, and texture, according to the USDA. In addition, when we freeze foods for quite some time, this helps prevent the growth of microorganisms that are responsible for food spoilage and foodborne illness.

A Very Special and Most Expensive Cooking Oil 

In Morocco, a country located in North Africa, a tree known as the argan tree produces a very expensive oil. In fact, Morocco's argan oil is now the most expensive edible oil globally. 

What Makes The Argan Oil So Special

The oil is believed to be rich in tocopherols and polyphenols, which are both powerful antioxidants. Argan oil is extracted from the kernels of argan fruits that have been sun-dried for either a few days or up to several weeks. The fruit drying time allegedly influences the quality of the extracted oil.

The Health Benefits of Argan/Moroccan Oil

There's scientific literature on the use of Moroccan oil for chronic conditions such as atherosclerosis and psoriasis and its cardioprotective properties. 

Practicing a Pescatarian Diet - Try Delicious Lionfish Dishes

The Lionfish, a flourishing invasive species in the U.S Southeast and Caribbean Coastal waters, is one of the world's most venomous but edible fish. 

Catching, Handling, and Cleaning Lionfish

If you are not an expert in catching, handling, and cleaning Lionfish, I suggest you stay away from these fish until you at least watch a video or find someone who has some experience in catching, handling, and cleaning these venomous fish.

Why The Extra Caution

They are venomous in the exterior spine, so you should handle them with extreme caution to avoid being stuck by these bones in the outer spine. Once you safely get rid of these outer bones, the fish is considered safe for consumption.

The Meat of Lionfish

The meat of Lionfish is white, flaky, high in heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, and low in saturated fats and heavy metals such as mercury. 

Preparing Lionfish

You can deep fry, pot fry, roast, grill, bake, curry, escovitch, steam, broil, etc. 

Final Thoughts

You can watch this video below to see the whole process of catching, handling, cleaning, and preparing Lionfish. You also can help in the effort to reduce the population of these invasive species and save our coral reefs. The population of this species is multiplying rapidly, primarily because they have no known predators, and secondly, they reproduce all year long. 

One Huge Disadvantage of Refined Grains

If you are trying to incorporate more fibers into your diet, do your best to avoid refined grains because they contain no dietary fibers.

Shouldn't Grain Have Fibers?

When grains are being milled, they are stripped of the bran and germ to give them a more refined texture and help to improve their shelf life. However, this process simultaneously removes dietary fiber, iron, and many vitamins.

Examples of Refined Grain

-White Flour

-De-germed cornmeal

-White bread

-White Rice

Enriched Refined Grains
Most refined grains are enriched, meaning certain B vitamins are added back after processing, but not the fibers.

4 Disadvantages of Low Fiber Diets

1. Increase the risk of hemorrhoids development

2. Increase the chance of constipation

3. Increase the risk of colorectal cancer

4. Increase the risk of high cholesterol

Oats - Five Different Oats

Oats come in various forms. However, the processing is what distinguishes them all from each other. Below are five different types of oats:

1. Oat Groats - oats, referred to as groats, are the entire husked oat kernels that have been cleaned, with only the loose exterior, removed. The bran, germ, and endosperm are all intact. Most of the fibers are in the bran. The bran is also removed and eaten as cereals or added to recipes to increase the fiber content. Groats are the least refined type of oats, and they also take the longest to cook.

 2. Steel Cut Oats or Irish Oats - Oat groats are whole grain oat gratis that have been cut with a steel blade into 2-3 smaller pieces rather than being rolled to create rolled oats. Longer pieces take a longer time to cook than shorter pieces.

3. Scottish Oats - Oat groats stone ground into a meal for baking or making porridge. Scottish Oatmeal is the original porridge of ancient Scotland. These Scottish oats have a smooth, creamy texture.

4. Rolled or Old-Fashioned - Oats groats steamed, then rolled and flattened into flakes. These flakes are then dried to remove the moisture to allow them to be safely stored at room temperature in a sealed container.

5. Quick or Instant Oats - Groats steamed much longer than old-fashioned oats. They are then rolled into thinner pieces to allow easy absorption of water and to cook very quickly. Many of these brands are pre-sweetened and come in different flavors.

FYI: The next voyage I will be taking you on is one on which we will explore the nutrition values of oats. We may even look at a few ways of preparing oats.  

               

How to Cook Wisely

• Use less fat and refined foods in food preparation.
• Trim all visible fat from meats and remove the skin from poultry before cooking.
• Skim the fat off gravies and soups.
• Bake, broil, boil, and steam instead of frying.
• Sparingly use butter, cream, mayonnaise, and salad dressings.
• Sparingly use coconut oil, palm oil, and cocoa butter.
• Prepare plenty of foods that contain fiber.

P.S. The use of oils can be a bit controversial. However, my opinion is that all oil should be used sparingly. Moderation is the key.

Foods You Should Consider Including in Your Meals

• Include whole-grain bread and cereals, vegetables, and legumes in most meals.
•  For desserts, eat fruits.
• Drink more water and less fruit juices but avoid soda pop and fruit-flavored drinks.
• Add foods to your diet that reduce cravings, simply because many people have a natural insulin imbalance. Insulin is needed to transport glucose to the cells and helps the body use and conserve energy. However, some people produce so much insulin that their bodies can't use it all. This imbalance leads to a massive craving for carbohydrates. As they eat more carbohydrates, even more insulin is released.

Foods that Reduce Cravings

• Eggs
• Red meat
• Fish
• Poultry
• Cheese
• Tofu
• Oils
• Fats and nonstarchy vegetables such as lettuce, green beans, peppers, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, and Brussels sprouts.

If you watch your portion sizes, eating foods that reduce cravings at regular meals and snacks can help decrease the intense desire for carbohydrates, prevent overeating, and aid with weight loss.


Remember to always do your own research. Also, talk to your healthcare provider for medical advice. This is for educational purposes.

How to Prevent Cut Fruits and Vegetables From Turning Brown

Fruits contain an enzyme known as polyphenol oxidase (PPO). When the fruit is cut or bruised, this enzyme is released and exposed to atmospheric oxygen, the fruit will turn brown(enzymic browning).

There are several things that you can do to prevent your cut fruits and vegetables from turning brown:

1. Coat them with cooking oil.
2. Use saran wrap(plastic wrap)to cover unused portions as soon as possible.
3. Cut your fruits and vegetables closest to the time you will be consuming them.
4. Cut off just the amount you think would be sufficient from your head of lettuce to avoid any significant leftovers. 
5. Use an acidic juice such as lemon, orange, or pineapple juice to coat them. This will lower the Ph, which will decrease the activity of the enzyme.