Hot sun, long-awaited rest, warm ponds, fresh vegetables, fruits and greens – this is only a small part of those pleasant moments that summer days give us.
Unfortunately, it is in summer that various food poisonings are most often registered. Some products only need to stand in a warm room for a couple of hours to turn from tasty and healthy into dangerous to health. And if everything is more or less clear with ready-made store products – the expiration date of the product and its storage conditions are indicated on the packaging, then what about the food that we prepare ourselves? How long can salad, greens and semi-finished products lie in the refrigerator, at what temperature should they be stored? Which products should be eaten immediately after preparation, and which can stand for several hours? Let’s try to figure it out.
Meat of animals and birds is a perishable product, it cannot be stored for a long time. But still, if you have a small amount of fried meat left, then in the refrigerator at a temperature of +2 °C to +6 °C, pork, lamb or beef shashlik can be stored for up to 36 hours, poultry shashlik can be stored for two days. Products from chopped meat or dishes prepared from meat – cutlets, meatballs, steaks – must be eaten within 24 hours. Also, you should not store ready-made offal and pates in the refrigerator for more than 24 hours.
Smoked poultry carcasses can be eaten within 72 hours after preparation, provided they are stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of no lower than +2 °C and no higher than +6 °C.
But with jellied products it is better not to take risks and eat them within 12 hours after preparation. Otherwise, the risk of getting food poisoning increases many times over.
There is an opinion that vegetables and greens can be stored in the refrigerator for quite a long time. There are many recipes in the media on how to “revive” a two-week-old salad or wilted parsley. But we strongly advise against doing this. Any vegetables, fruits, leafy salads or greens should be immediately disposed of at the first signs of spoilage or wilting.
If you have processed vegetables and greens , i.e. washed, cut, peeled, eat them within 18 hours. Salads from raw vegetables and fruits without dressing can also be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 18 hours.
Any salads with dressing (mayonnaise, sauces) should be eaten within 12 hours. If you have added canned vegetables or eggs in addition to fresh vegetables and greens, then such a salad should be eaten as quickly as possible, since after 6 hours it will be considered unsafe in terms of epidemics.
Any side dishes – be it fried or boiled potatoes, stewed vegetables or cereals – are not recommended for consumption if more than 16 hours have passed.
We would like to warn lovers of fish dishes : fresh fish should be stored for no more than 24 hours at a temperature no higher than +2 °C. Fish dishes can be stored from 24 hours (fish cutlets, pies, jellied meat, soups) to 48 hours (smoked, fried fish).
Dairy products – milk, cream, whey – are safe for 36 hours, provided they are stored at a temperature of +2 °C to +6 °C. But fermented milk products – fermented baked milk, kefir, cottage cheese, homemade cheese – are best stored no longer than 72 hours.
Confectionery and bakery products – cheesecakes, pies, jellies, mousses – should be kept in the refrigerator for no longer than 24 hours. But the shelf life of cakes and pastries varies depending on the ingredients they contain. A soufflé cake with protein filling, creamy or fruit and berry, should be eaten within 72 hours. A cake with custard or whipped cream should not be stored for longer than 18 hours, sponge rolls – for longer than 36 hours. And vegetable or fruit juices can be stored in the refrigerator for two days.
It is important to remember that not only the appropriate temperature conditions and adherence to storage periods will ensure the safety of your health, but also the correct product neighborhood. You cannot keep raw products and semi-finished products together with ready-made food, store spoiled or suspicious quality products together with fresh ones.