How to Reduce Food Spoilage

Celebrity Chef Rachael Ray advises home cooks to keep a well-stocked pantry, but you're your ingredients won't be recipe ready if they're spoiled. Food spoilage not only affects the taste, texture and nutritional value of food, it can also pose a serious health risk. Read on to learn strategies to preserve food properly to reduce waste.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Buy only what you need. That bulk food bargain or buy three, get one free deal won't save you money if the extra product spoils before you can use it.
2. Check expiration dates. Compare the "best used by" dates of food items on the grocery shelves to purchase the freshest products possible.
3. Read and follow storage and preservation instructions on food labels carefully.
4. Regulate temperatures to prolong shelf life. Set your freezer to 30 degrees F or lower and your refrigerator to 41 degrees F or lower to prevent spoilage. Keep your pantry cool and dry.
5. Store perishable food--particularly meat, fish and poultry--in the refrigerator or freezer until you're ready to cook it. Never allow perishables to sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours--even less on a hot day.
6. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours of cooking. Eat them within 3 to 5 days.
7. Rotate your cupboard regularly as a reminder to use older items. Place new packages on the bottom if products are stacked. Donate food you don't expect to use to a local shelter or food bank.
8. Hold "pantry clean out day" once a month--challenge yourself to incorporate nearly--expired products into your meals before spoilage occurs.

Tips & Warnings

• Devise a way to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold when camping or picnicking. If you're unable to keep hot items at the proper temperature, pre-cook and cool them at home, then store along with cold dishes. Use multiple coolers and refresh ice or ice packs often.
• Recognize the signs of spoiled food. Discard products that are slimy, emitting a rotten odor or discolored (such as green meat, bread with black dots or fruit with blue or green spots). However, improperly handled foods can look fresh but still be contaminated. Follow the adage, "When in doubt, throw it out."