Meal Prep: Are Your Meals Safe?
By Sara Butler
Meal prep is a great way to save time during the week while also trying to eat healthily. Planning for healthy meals can save you time and money, but prepping healthy meals is only part of the battle. It's also essential that the meals you prepare are packed and stored correctly so that you don't make yourself (or your family) sick. Here are a few tips to help ensure your prepped meals are safe.
Store Groceries
This is a basic rule that will go a long way for food safety. After you plan your meals out and buy the ingredients, make sure to put all perishable items in the refrigerator immediately. If you don't, then you may be creating a breeding ground for disease-causing bacteria in the cheese, tofu, milk, or raw meat you buy.
Defrost Safely
If you buy meat and store it in the freezer to use in the future, you may be tempted to rapidly defrost it by placing it on the counter for the day. You should avoid doing this because it can cause bacteria to grow that can make you sick.
Plus, it's unsanitary to let the juices that may flow from defrosting raw meat to leak onto your counters, where you could inadvertently cross-contaminate other foods during meal prep. Place any meat you want to defrost in a dish and place it in the refrigerator the night before you want to use it so it can thaw at a safe temperature.
Let Food Cool Down
When prepping your meals for the week, you may be tempted to divvy it all up and then place it in the refrigerator after you're done cooking. This isn't a good idea! While you do need to get them in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking, you also don't want to put piping hot food in the refrigerator. Doing so can bring down the overall temperature in the refrigerator and allow bacteria to grow in the food you prepped and other food you're storing as well.
Let the food cool down to about 70 degrees Fahrenheit before you cover and place it in the refrigerator to enjoy later in the week.
Store It Right
Most of the food you prep for the week can be safely stored for three to four days, though it depends on what you've cooked. Fish should only be kept for up to three days maximum while foods such as chicken can stay OK to eat for a day or two longer. If you don't think you'll get around to eating something soon, put it in the freezer where it can be kept for up to two months in a freezer-safe container.
Meal prep is a great idea, but make sure you're doing it safely.
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