Careful! Wrong usage of refrigerators may indirectly lead to food poisoning!
In the hot summer, people should be more careful about illness enters by the mouth! It’s the most active time for bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In order to prevent food poisoning, people get used to put uneaten food into refrigerator.
However, refrigerators usually can’t kill the bacteria. Why do we believe it can be prevented the food from spoiling?
Refrigerators can’t guarantee the growth of bacteria!
You can’t stop bacteria only by closing the door of refrigerator! First of all, we need to know most molds are suitable for growing at the temperature between 25°C~35°C, bacteria like to grow at the temperature between 20°C~50°C, and both like to grow in humid environment. The temperature in refrigerators usually set at a low temperature of about 4°C for refrigeration and -18°C for freezing, which can delay their growth rate, so the shelf life can be extended, not allowing molds and bacteria to die or disappear.
Don’t ignore that there are some molds and bacteria may exist in various difficult environments, even in the low temperature.
Should hot food be cool first, or put into refrigerator while they are hot?
When hot food directly contacts with the cold air inside the refrigerator, it will cause a large amount of water vapor to condense and the temperature in the refrigerator will rise in a short time. This humid environment is the favorite breeding element for bacteria and molds. Moreover, cool down the refrigerator will use more energy and cause the power consumption problems. What is the most appropriate refrigeration time for hot food?
No matter what kind of food, the longer it is left at room temperature, the more bacteria will multiply breed. Therefore, WHO recommends people don’t put the food over two hours at room temperature.
The cooling efficiency of recent refrigerator has been greatly improved. Although it does cause more energy and consume more electricity when people put hot food into refrigeration, it is within the normal operating range of the refrigerator.
To avoid breeding too much bacteria, it is recommended to put the food in the refrigerator as long as it is not hot (the temperature is about 50°C)!
The storage plan of food must be done well, and avoided over than 70% full.
It’s necessary to reserve a certain amount of space in the refrigerator to allow the cold air to flow and achieve the function to reduce the average temperature. However, most people used to squeeze every food into refrigerator, and they don’t know if the refrigerator is too full, some food will not be completely refrigerated.
Using the suitable size to reserve the food in airtight containers, which not only make the space in refrigerator for better used but also avoid the mixed flavors between foods!
Regularly clean up the refrigerator storage to keep the food stay fresh!
Refrigerators only rely on low temperature to slow down the growth of microorganisms, but many microorganisms still survive on food. As long as the food is stored in the refrigerator for too long and eaten without paying attention to the shelf life, it may cause nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, diarrhea, and even fever and other food poisoning symptoms. Especially if there are pregnant women, infants and young children, the elderly people with chronic diseases and other groups with weaker physique and weaker immunity, people must pay special attention.
Divide the food into fresh-keeping boxes, write down the purchasing date before putting into refrigerator, and regularly clean up the food inside the refrigerator, which can reduce the food being ignored or wasted.
Regularly cleaning up the refrigerator storage is not only to maintain the food safety, but an attitude of cherishing food.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!