I decided to eat food that had been reheated and left covered all day in the microwave.
Your asking yourself "Why did I do it?" I don't know. It is pretty obvious the end result.
Maybe I hate seeing food going to waste so I decided to eat it. Needless to say it is the reason for this post.
I pride myself in having a strong stomach, so after 4 hours, at 1:30 AM on Sunday morning my troubles began. I did not require hospitalization but it interrupted my sweet sleep.
Never again. But I know myself. I cannot resist experiments. That same day I carried out a control and at food that was reheated properly. I was okay. My troubles were over.
Safety tips
Reheat food only once. Once food is cooked it should be reheated only once. It doesn't matter if it is using the microwave or the stove. Only once.
Freezing and refrigeration. Low temperatures SLOW growth of microorganisms but it DOES NOT STOP growth of microorganisms. This means that as soon as you raise the temperatures the microorganisms start to grow. Also you cannot store food indefinitely in the freezer.
Heat. This is the only sure way of killing microorganisms and at the same time leaving the food palatable. Talk about having your cake and eating it too.
I am yet to see other methods such as disinfectant and UV light employed without risks involved.
To be sure that all microorganisms are killed, heat food to temp above 70 degrees Celsius for about 10 minutes, i.e. at simmering point.
Eat cold food. Before the invention of the microwave we ate cold food if you didn't have the time to use the stove. Some food lose their flavour, nutrients and texture when reheated. For example fish dishes and some vegetable are rarely reheated to prevent them from becoming flaky and overcooked.
I am yet to see other methods such as disinfectant and UV light employed without risks involved.
To be sure that all microorganisms are killed, heat food to temp above 70 degrees Celsius for about 10 minutes, i.e. at simmering point.
Eat cold food. Before the invention of the microwave we ate cold food if you didn't have the time to use the stove. Some food lose their flavour, nutrients and texture when reheated. For example fish dishes and some vegetable are rarely reheated to prevent them from becoming flaky and overcooked.
Danger Zone
This is where microrganism growth is favoured and food spoilage is accelerated.
Food left covered at room temperature (200C – 270C) or maintained at lukewarm temperature for a long time is a hazard. Results from my self experiment show that even reheating in the microwave for long periods (more than 5 minutes) does nothing to stop the inevitable.
Lastly, during this festive season stay safe and make sure you watch what you eat. If food has a strange taste/flavour that you associate with spoiled food then leave it. It is better to stay hungry and waste food rather than make the loo your best friend: best case scenario.
Wishing you a happy festive season
The Kenyan Food Biochemist
Brian Kibue
No comments:
Post a Comment