Storing Leftovers

Do you want save time preparing food for your family? Double your recipe and save the leftovers. Special handling of leftovers during cooling, storage, and re-heating is necessary, though, to make sure your food is safe.

Rapid cooling minimizes bacterial growth. You can speed cooling by placing hot food and small, shallow containers – preferably metal. Place the uncovered container in your refrigerator and cover when cool. To cool a large batch of soup, place your stockpot in the sink with ice and water, stirring occasionally until cool. Make sure to avoid overloading your refrigerator with too many hot foods. This can raise the temperature of all the food in your refrigerator to the temperature danger zone. When you’re ready to eat, re-heat all precooked food to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.