NSW Health has shared some timely advice regarding storing and eating food over the festive period.
In a nutshell, eating cooked food beyond its use-by date can lead to food poisoning. You should keep refrigerated leftovers for no more than three days.
To keep your leftovers safe, remember to put any food that needs to be kept cold in the fridge straight away. Keep your fridge temperature below 5 degrees.
Reheat foods to at least 60 degrees Celsius, until they're steaming hot, and avoid eating food that's meant to be in the fridge if it's been left out for more than four hours.
Here are some tips for keeping food safe.
Keep it cold
Keep the fridge below 5 degrees Celsius; put any food that needs to be kept cold in the fridge straight away; avoid eating food that's meant to be in the fridge if it's been left out for over four hours; defrost and marinate foods in the fridge, especially meats; and shop with a cooler bag, picnic with an esky.
Keep it clean
Wash and dry hands thoroughly before starting to prepare or eat any food, even a snack; keep benches, kitchen equipment and tableware clean and dry; don't let raw meat juices drip onto other foods; separate raw and cooked food and use different cutting boards and knives for both; and avoid making food for others if you're sick with something like diarrhoea.
Keep it hot
Cook foods to at least 60 degrees Celsius, hotter for specific foods; reheat foods to at least 60 degrees Celsius, until they're steaming hot; make sure there's no pink left in cooked meats such as mince or sausages; look for clear juices before serving chicken; and heat to boiling all marinades containing raw meat juices before serving.
Check the label
Don't eat food past a 'use-by' date; note a 'best before' date; follow storage and cooking instructions; be allergy aware; and ask for information about unpackaged foods.
And if you're tempted to give your dog a sneaky slice of smoked ham under the dining table, don't.
Onions, onion powder, garlic, chocolate, coffee or caffeine products, avocado, mouldy or spoiled foods or compost, bread dough, yeast dough, grapes, raisins, sultanas, currants, nuts, fruit stones, mushrooms, fruit seeds, cooked bones, fatty trimmings/fatty foods and salt are all bad for your dog's health.
