Five food myths busted

lythande1, Jan 2, 6:30pm
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm!c_id=6&objectid=11568640

1. If you've defrosted meat or chicken you can't refreeze it
It is fine to refreeze meat or chicken or any frozen food as long as it was defrosted in a fridge running at 5C or below.
2. Wash meat before you prepare and/or cook it
It is not a good idea to wash meats and poultry when preparing for cooking.

3. Hot food should cool completely before putting it in the fridge
It's not okay to leave perishable food out for an extended time or overnight before putting it in the fridge.

Hot leftovers, and any other leftovers for that matter, should go into the fridge once they have stopped steaming, within about 30 minutes.

4. If it smells okay, then it's okay to eat
This is definitely not always true.

5. Oil preserves food so it can be left at room temperature
Adding oil will not necessarily kill bugs.

gaspodetwd, Jan 2, 7:31pm
1. It just isn't worth the risk.
2. I wash poultry to remove the plastic taste and then dry it thoroughly so as to make the skin crispy when I cook it. I don't think it is a good idea to cook with the plastic flavour. Although I think a lot of people can't taste it!
3. It is unsafe to put hot food into a fridge as the temperature raises the risk of all the other food in there. It is not to do with the safety of the original food but everything else in the fridge. Studies show this.

buzzy110, Jan 2, 8:11pm
Great information about plastic and chicken. I agree about putting hot food in the fridge. I overcome this little problem by putting ice packs into a chilly bin and putting the food into that until it has cooled sufficiently to transfer into fridge.

lythande1, Jan 3, 12:04am
As it says, put it in after a bit, not after ages though.

wendalls, Jan 3, 9:56am
There's not much in my fridge that's going to hurt anyone from being a few degrees warmer for a short while. It's all OTT in my humble opinion. Studies probably show the degrees go up, but what do they show the bugs growing in! I used to work in a lab that tested for food poisoning so have a little knowledge, albeit a few years ago. Listeria is a risk for pregnant women and the very young and old, salmonella, campylobacter from chicken, ham. Yep risky. Dairy products, well I'm not that concerned. My milk may go off a day earlier big deal. . Jars of preservative filled sauces, mustards, chutneys, pastes. All good I reckon. Toxins that develop from food sitting on the bench,- definite risk! That's from the staph aureus bug that Lives on many people's skin as normal flora. One bug multiplies to millions depending on the temp. Could affect leftovers in the fridge but I'm thinking that the faster you fridge, the less time for multiplying and then toxin producing. A good reason to thoroughly reheat leftovers though!

aktow, Jan 4, 4:07pm
if you are worried about putting hot food in the frig then put it in the freezer with the lid off for around 20 minutes, the colder temperature will coolthe food down quicker and the heat of the food will not effect the freezer temp ,

tinkagirl, Jan 9, 5:56am
Having worked for F&P for many years you should never put hot foods in the fridge OR the freezer because it will cause the freezer part of the fridge and the freezer to defrost.It is not good for the appliance full stop.