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Food Focus February 2009

Fridge primer for flatters

Life in a student flat often revolves around food and the fridge. Following a few food safety tips will prevent nasty bugs from taking hold in the fridge

Flatting is a way of life for New Zealand tertiary students, it’s often the first step away from home into the world of chores and rosters. Good hygiene practices in the flat can help prevent foodborne illness from interfering with study regimes or those all-important exams. A good place to start is the fridge.

Cover your food

Ready-to-eat foods, such as salads, that are not covered or stored properly can be cross-contaminated from raw foods. Before putting anything in your fridge, cover it first with cling film or foil or put it into containers with tight-sealing lids. Never re-use foil or film to wrap other foods.

Empty the can

If you open a can of food and don’t use it all straight away, empty the food into a bowl, or other covered container, and put it in the fridge (food left in an open can may develop a metallic taste but will still be safe to eat.).

Split the meat

It is particularly important that raw meat and poultry are kept covered and away from ready-to-eat food, fruit and vegetables (these should all be covered too whenever possible). As a general rule keep meat at the bottom of the fridge to ensure any leaking juices, which often contain live bacteria, do not drip on to and contaminate other foods. To avoid unnecessary cleaning up, keep meat in containers that will catch any juices. You could also put a few paper towels in the bottom to make disposing of the raw juices less messy.

Let hot food chill out

Cooling hot foods slightly before refrigerating them will help avoid raising the temperature of other stored foods. If you have a large amount of food, such as rice or a casserole, spread it out in a flat tray and it will cool quicker. When it has stopped steaming, you can put it into a sealed or covered container and into the fridge.

Don’t stuff it

Avoid stuffing your fridge full as overloading prevents the cold air from circulating properly and can stop it from keeping all your food nice and cold. Let food marinate in the coolness of your fridge, not on your kitchen bench.

Debug

Keep your fridge clean - wipe up spills immediately, wash surfaces with soapy water and dry thoroughly with a clean towel or paper towels. It’s a good idea to have a general stocktake and clean your fridge every week or two. Even though bacteria and fungi don’t like the cold, they will still grow, though slowly.

Stay cool

Most pathogenic bacteria (those that cause foodborne illness) can’t grow at low refrigeration temperatures. Use a fridge thermometer to check your fridge’s temperature and adjust the control dials to keep it in the optimum range (2⁰-4⁰C).

Disinfecting the kitchen sponge

There’s no point in cleaning your fridge or wiping down the kitchen bench with a sponge that is a breeding ground for bacteria. A quick and simple way to disinfect your kitchen sponge is to put it in the microwave. Place a wet cloth in a microwave on high for two to four minutes. The heat will kill off bacteria and viruses. Be careful when removing from the microwave as it will be steaming hot.

Use separate sponges or cloths for the dishes, the bench and the floor. If you have different coloured cloths for different tasks it will be easier to distinguish what they are for. Some people use green for dishes (it rhymes with clean), blue for the bench (they both start with ‘b’) and yellow for the floor (when you wipe up spills, the light colour shows any dirt which reminds you to mop the floor). Preferably use paper towels for spills, especially wiping up meat juices.

Make sure you have two or three of each colour so when one’s in the wash, there’s a clean one ready to go.