If you’ve got hot food that isn’t going to be eaten right away, you will want to get it into the fridge. The question is, do you have to cool it down first? Or, can it go in piping hot?
Food safety is critical, so let’s discuss the correct method.
Food Safety 101
Food safety should always be practiced. Otherwise, you risk various foodborne illnesses like E. Coli, listeria, or salmonella. 40 F to 140 F is considered the “danger zone” where you’re most likely going to experience problems. So, you should cool food as quickly as possible to get the food out of the danger zone.
Cooling is Critical
Your fridge may not be able to cool everything down quickly enough – and you don’t want to get anything else around the leftovers warmer than it should be.
Now, here’s why cooling is so important:
- It prevents bacterial growth
- It preserves food quality
- It protects the other food you have in the fridge (or freezer)
Once the food is out of the danger zone, you can place it in the fridge. If the food has been in the danger zone for more than a few hours, it might be best to toss it.
Image by Abdulmajeed Hassan from Pixabay
A Few Best Practices
Make it easy on yourself and follow a few best practices:
- Cover your food with a lid or foil with a gap so that steam can escape.
- Transfer food to a shallow pan or container so that heat can dissipate faster.
- Use a food thermometer to monitor the temperature. You want to get the temperature out of the danger zone (so below 40 F) within two hours.
- Use an ice bath to speed up the cooling process.
The next time you have a hot dish, cool it down, wrap it up, and get it in the fridge. It’s the safest way for you to deal with any of your leftovers.