The same thing happens every year, despite many telling themselves that it won’t happen next time. When the holidays and gatherings with friends and family arrive, a large amount of food is prepared that is never finished. And she sees that her grandmother insists and insists so that she eats it a little more. Although it is not the only purpose that is broken annually, it is true that food waste during these dates is a frequent practice in most homes. Seven out of ten Spaniards buy more food than necessary during Christmas, and one in three admits to wasting at least 10% of food during this period, more than at any other time of the year, according to data from the latest study carried out. for To Good To Go in which 1,000 people participated.
Although generally, and increasingly, people choose to store leftovers instead of throwing them away, many people do not know how each dish should be preserved or for how long. Saving Christmas leftovers to throw away later is useless and a spoiled dish can cause food poisoning. And although the ideal conservation conditions are similar in many cases, each food has its particularities. Starters, main courses, desserts and drinks require different conditions, as are also different between raw or cooked meats, stewed or stuffed, sauces and soups, roscones and nougats, wines and cavas…
Bacteria proliferate in foods naturally and preserving them seeks to prevent or delay their growth. The best way to store perishable foods is cold, because at temperatures below five degrees it is more difficult for them to grow. In fact, between five and 65 degrees is considered a risk zone; Below it the development time slows down and above it the pathogens are destroyed. There are foods that resist bacteria better, such as whole fruits and vegetables, nuts, raw pasta and rice or legumes, but others, such as meat, fish, eggs, yogurts and fermented milks…, should be stored in the refrigerator. or freeze. However, cold neither preserves nor destroys microorganisms forever.
When it comes to leftovers, any preparation that has been cooked should be kept cold. The longer the time since its preparation increases, the greater the risk of food poisoning. But to be clear about whether to keep them in the refrigerator or freeze, and for how many days it can be done and still be safe to eat, several experts have made some recommendations about it. For this analysis we are based on the book by food technologist Beatriz Robles, Eat safely by eating everything, and information from the FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration), the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU). and Aesan (Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition).
If there is something that is not missing from the table at a Christmas gathering, it is the starters: cheeses, sausages, cold cuts, pâtés, smoked salmon, deviled eggs… First of all, we must keep in mind that the best way to preserve them is in an airtight container, and not on the plate where they have been served (except in some cases, such as some sausages and cheeses, which can be wrapped with plastic wrap; although it is always preferable to put them in a container).
Cheese is a food that lasts a long time in good condition, but care should be taken if mold appears on its surface. This is not the same type of mold that blue cheeses have, for example, so when it occurs it is advisable to get rid of it. Preparations with smoked salmon should be stored in plastic wrap or an airtight bag and in the refrigerator for a maximum of four days; If you choose to freeze it, it can be consumed up to two months later. Beatriz Robles recommends consuming other raw preparations such as carpaccio, tartares or marinades at the same time to avoid poisoning.
Egg preparations are more delicate. Those starters that contain it cooked, such as hard-boiled eggs, can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of three days, and in the freezer for between two and three months. Now, all dishes that use raw or a sauce prepared with eggs, such as mayonnaise or all i oli, should be consumed immediately and under no circumstances saved for another day. Pâté may contain listeria if left at room temperature, so it should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within four or five days at most.
Aesan indicates that, as a general rule, leftovers from dishes that have been cooked, whether meat, fish or other preparations, should be kept at a maximum of 5ºC. The FDA, in that sense, points out that you should avoid leaving leftovers at temperatures between five and 65 degrees for a long time, and throw away those foods that have been out of the refrigerator for more than two hours. Furthermore, to keep them well, you should always let them cool completely before refrigerating them and placing them in airtight containers.
It is also important to differentiate between raw or cooked foods. For example, if you have leftover raw minced meat or chicken, it can be stored in the refrigerator for one to two days. Raw fish or seafood can remain in good condition for the same amount of time. The rest of the raw meats can generally last between three and five days refrigerated. Stews and broths between one and two, and meat cooked for a maximum of four days. If you choose to freeze, Beatriz Robles indicates that the times are different for lean meats (12 months), fatty meats (4 months) or poultry (6-9 months), organ meats (3.4 months), cooked meat (2-3 months). or stews (2-3 months). The same thing happens with fish, since raw white can be kept frozen for up to six months, blue for two to three, cooked for four months, smoked for two, raw seafood for three to six, and open canned fish for up to two months ( although they should be frozen outside the can, in a container).
Some foods that cannot be frozen are cooked rice and pasta (in the refrigerator, they must also be consumed within a day), sauces with milk or cream, vegetables that are consumed raw (celery, endive, lettuce, cucumber… .), mayonnaise and other prepared dressings, fried dishes, potatoes or fatty stews.
Sweets tend to be left over in quantity, because one is already too full when one reaches them. Therefore, it is important to know how and how long to store each dessert so that it does not spoil. Nougats generally keep for a long time, but it is best to wrap them well in plastic wrap or put them in an airtight bag, individually, and store them in a place that is not too humid or hot. With the Polvorones it is recommended to do the same.
The cakes should also be covered in film or put in a container and it is advisable to consume them within a maximum of four or five days; but cakes with cream, cream and containing eggs or other dairy products (not in a sponge cake dough), should be placed in the refrigerator and not eaten after 3 days. This case applies, for example, to roscones that contain cream or cream, as well as curds, custards, cold cakes such as lemon pie…
Although it is difficult for wine and cava to spoil because alcohol acts as a preservative, if they are not covered well or if a long time has passed since the bottle was opened, oxygen and bacteria can end up biting it. The term chopped is used to define wines in a very advanced state of oxidation and, therefore, defective.
To prevent the aroma or its nuances from being lost, the first thing to do is cover the wine again with the same cork or, better yet, with an airtight stopper. In the case of whites and rosés, if they are stored in the refrigerator they can last about 3 days without losing too much of their properties. For red wines, the ideal is to store them in a cool place without light, and their duration will depend on whether they are young or aged wines, so they can be kept between three days and a week. Sweet wines generally last longer.
And in the section on cava and champagne, it is worth remembering that the old trick of putting a spoon upside down in the bottle to prevent the gas from being lost is useless. To preserve it better, experts recommend using an airtight cap and storing the bottle in the refrigerator, which will keep the gas for longer (approximately 3 to 5 days).
