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it takes americans 15 hours of planning and cooking To Create the Perfect Thanksgiving Spread: Turkey, stuffing, sides and cranberry sauce.
After eating, most families go into a “food coma” on the couch, watching a rerun of the National Dog Show or the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — and not everyone puts their spilled food immediately back in the fridge.
But food safety experts warn that not taking the time to wrap and store food properly could put you at risk of food poisoning when you go to take out leftovers the next day.
Dangerous bacteria can grow on food left out at room temperature two hours Coming out of the oven. This may include the bird, appetizers, and side dishes. Milk and Dairy Products,
“Many food safety issues related to the holidays stem from outdated traditions or hectic environments,” says Cedars-Sinai clinical dietitian Albert Abayev. Explained“Food left out on counters for long periods of time, undercooked chickens or stuffing, crowding in the refrigerator, meat thawing on the counter and multitasking that can lead to cross-contamination are among the most common problems,”
After that two-hour period, perishable food reaches temperatures known as the “danger zone” between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. In the danger zone, bacteria can grow rapidly and make food unsafe, foodsafety.gov warns,
Turkey left at room temperature may be susceptible to bacteria, clostridium perfringenswhich is the second most common bacterial cause of food poisoning in the US and affects about one million people every year,
People may experience vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea between six hours to a day after eating spoiled turkey.
And other dishes, such as stuffing and gravy, can also be affected by the same bacteria. Salmonella, listeria And e coliIn some cases, complications from these infections can be fatal, and about 3,000 people die from food-borne illness each year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
“These germs don’t care how much time you spend on that gravy-from-scratch or homemade cranberry sauce. They’ll come uninvited and send your guests home with a lot more than just leftovers,” says the author of Northern California. Sacramento County warned,
How you store your leftovers is just as important as when you store them.
Leftover food should be stored in airtight, shallow containers so the food can cool quickly. If the food you’re storing in the fridge is extremely hot, it may inadvertently heat other things in your fridge.
The turkey can be cut into small pieces and divided into smaller portions to cool other hot dishes faster.
What about sweets? While pumpkin and other The pie can be refrigerated for up to five days, Most leftover food should be stored or frozen by the Monday after Thanksgiving.
After that, the turkey, gravy and stuffing and any other Thanksgiving dishes can be frozen for four to six months. Although frozen foods are safe indefinitely, the quality may diminish over time.
“Be realistic about how much space you actually have in the fridge and what you can potentially eat.” Hannah Guenther, a teacher at the University of Nebraska, advised“Put everything else in the freezer and then you can enjoy it later,”
If you want to relive your vacation experience, make sure to reheat leftover food to internal temperature 165 degrees FahrenheitWhich is standard to ensure that any bacteria have been eradicated.
Accordingly, the gravy should be boiled completely and the food items reheated in the microwave should be stirred occasionally. Dr. Gulsan Akdemir Evrendilek, Food Safety Scientist, University of Maine,
“It’s not something we typically think about, but food safety is really about protecting your entire community,” said Rolando Villarreal, environmental health division chief for the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department.