What to Toss and What to Salvage for Safety
[ad_1]
There was a time when browning lettuce leaves or yogurt past the date on the container would be tossed in the trash without a second thought. The public’s growing awareness of food waste and the rising cost of groceries have made many people more cautious about cleaning out their refrigerators, however.
There’s a good reason to reconsider those leftovers: The average U.S. household wastes more than 6 cups of edible food every week, according to a report on the State of Food Waste in America, and could save $1,500 annually by eliminating food waste.
At the same time, food safety is no joke. Every year, 1 in 6 Americans gets ill from foodborne pathogens, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — and in some cases, that illness can lead to hospitalization or even death.
There are ways to cut back on unnecessary food waste without risking your health. Mostly, you have to know what foods are still safe, even if they don’t look their freshest, and which you should never take a chance on. While things like sour milk may be a no-brainer, other perishables are not always so clear-cut.
Let the following expert insights guide you.
Toss: Slimy Deli Meats
Presliced sandwich fillings can be convenient, but they are not an ingredient you want to push past their prime. More than 90 percent of cases of foodborne illness via Listeria monocytogenes infection can be traced to deli meats, according to results of a study published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology.
While commercially sealed meats and cheeses will last slightly longer — around two weeks unopened in the refrigerator, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the slices from the deli come into contact with air and that’s when the clock starts ticking, says Janilyn Hutchings, a certified food safety professional and food scientist at StateFoodSafety, in Orem, Utah, a food safety certification and training program for the hospitality industry. If you don’t eat them within three to five days, they’re likely to develop an off odor, or appear and feel wet to touch. In some cases, they may even change color and develop a bluish tint. “Don’t try to save it at that point,” says Hutchings. Just toss the entire package. It’s a good approach to take with most things you buy at the deli counter, given that the same study found the next biggest listeria culprits were ready-to-eat salads and seafood.
One exception: dry-cured meats like hard salami and ham. According to the USDA, it’s common to find mold on the surface of these shelf-stable products because of the long curing and drying process, and you don’t need to discard them as long as you remove the mold by scrubbing it or cutting it off.
Salvage: Hard Cheese With Mold Spots
It can be upsetting to discover mold growing on a fancy wedge of Parmesan, especially with the price of cheese these days. But there’s no need to toss the whole block.
Moldy food may look gross, but it’s not necessarily harmful — some cheeses, including gorgonzola, brie, and blue, are actually made using food-safe strains of mold. The problem is that some other species of mold produce toxic metabolites that can make you sick. Research has found, however, that these toxins aren’t produced when the mold grows in temperatures below 45 degrees F, such as on cheese that has been refrigerated, according to documents from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In these cases, you can cut away the mold, making sure to slice at least a half-inch below where it appears to remove any filaments that have grown into the cheese. This method is only recommended for hard cheeses; if you have moldy cream cheese, ricotta, or presliced or shredded varieties, toss ’em.
Toss: Moldy Bread
While it may be tempting to toss only slices with visible mold on them when you’re craving a sandwich, it’s not a good idea. Mold that grows on room-temperature food is more likely to produce poisonous substances called mycotoxins, says Hutchings. For that reason, she says, “Be especially wary of mold on produce and food items that include grain or nuts.” Soft or porous surfaces, like bread, are risky because mold filaments can contaminate them below the surface, where it’s not always visible, according to the USDA. So even if the adjacent slice looks fine, it could make you sick. Some people are allergic to mold, and can react if they even inhale spores, according to Mayo Clinic (a good reason not to sniff foods that may be moldy). “Chances are, you’ll be fine, but if you experience severe symptoms, including blood in your stool, respiratory issues, a fever over 102 degrees F, or frequent vomiting, you should seek medical help,” says Hutchings.
Salvage: Brown Lettuce
Browning leaves aren’t pretty, but they don’t mean your lettuce has gone bad. In fact, lettuce commonly develops what is known as russet spotting when exposed to other produce that produces a gas called ethylene as they ripen, according to the University of California. You can simply remove the brown leaves, wash, and enjoy. Likewise, if your greens are wilting, they’re still edible. You can revive them by soaking in either hot (120 degree F) water, then chilling on paper towels in the fridge, per Bon Appétit or soaking in ice water, according to StopFoodWaste.org. The only time to be wary of salad greens is when they are visibly moldy or slimy.
Toss: Fuzzy Jellies and Jams
There’s a persistent belief that the high sugar content in fruit jellies and jams acts as a preservative, but that won’t protect you if the contents get fuzzy spots. Mold spores can easily penetrate fruit spreads, so it’s not advised to simply scoop out visible mold and eat around it; you should discard the entire jar, says the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Mold may also be an indicator that the product was not sealed properly, in the case of canned or preserved fruit products, so it’s better to toss it than risk botulism.
Salvage: Sprouted Potatoes
When your potatoes start producing small, pale, bumpy protrusions sometimes called eyes — really just the sprouts of a new plant — that seems like an obvious indicator that they’re ready for the compost bin. But not only are they still edible, they even contain roughly the same nutritional value as a potato in its prime, according to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Potatoes do contain a toxin called solanine, which is concentrated in the eyes and skin, particularly green skin, so those should be removed before cooking. But as long as the potato still feels fairly firm and isn’t extremely wrinkled, it’s a candidate for mashing.
Toss: Spoiled Yogurt
Fermented foods might seem like they’d be immune to harmful bacteria, but they can be tainted just like any other food. And, because yogurt has a high water content, it’s more likely to support the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold, according to the FDA. That means yogurt, along with things made from it like smoothies, can be at high risk for spoilage, says Kim Rose, RDN, a clinical nutrition manager for HCA Healthcare in Lakeland, Florida. And, as with other foods, the mold may spread below the surface where you don’t see it, so it’s better to discard the entire container rather than risk getting sick.
Salvage: Rotting Berries
Produce is a tricky thing. In general, the USDA says that, like cheese, harder varieties (think bell peppers, cabbage, and carrots) can be salvaged by cutting away an inch circumference around the bad spots, taking care to keep the knife blade from touching any mold and spreading it. Softer produce with higher water content, like peaches, cucumbers, and tomatoes, are more likely to be tainted below the surface, and it’s better not to take a chance. Berries are an exception, however. Per the USDA, you can discard any with mold and the fruit that was directly in contact with the moldy berries, but save the rest, as long as they don’t show any signs of spoilage.
Toss: Leftovers
Once cooked food goes bad, there’s not much chance of saving it. That’s because leftovers often have a high water content, making them attractive to pathogens. And reheating them won’t destroy all those pathogens, Rose says.
In general, you’ll want to consume refrigerated leftovers within a few days, says Hutchings. The website StateFoodSafety has a helpful chart of how long different leftovers will last. Immediately discard anything that has a change in color, odor, or texture, or anything that has visible mold.
Salvage: Freezer-Burned Food
Your freezer can be a great tool to extend the life of leftovers and other ingredients you can’t use right away. But if you don’t wrap food properly, it’s susceptible to freezer burn: an abundance of ice crystals and sometimes grayish-brown spots and a weird texture on parts of the frozen food. This isn’t ideal (and may affect flavor), but it’s perfectly safe to consume, reports the USDA. Freezer burn is basically caused by the cold air drying out the food. Remove the freezer burned spots with a knife and cook or eat as you normally would — and next time, use airtight containers and storage wraps.
[ad_2]
