Eat Out Eat Well

food facts

Is Food In The Refrigerator And Freezer Safe To Eat After A Power Failure?

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The power is out all over town. Hurricane Irene has downed power lines up and down the East Coast and I’m sure many of you are wondering what to do with all that food in your fridge and freezer.

From numerous past experiences I know that one of the challenges in the aftermath of a power failure is figuring out what to do with the food in the fridge and freezer. 

The Basic Rules For Leftovers

If you cooked up a storm right before the actual storm (or whatever caused the power failure), according to the March 2010 edition of the Nutrition Action Healthletter (Center for Science in the Public Interest), you should follow these general rules:

  • The mantra is:  2 Hours–2 Inches–4 Days
  • 2 Hours from oven to refrigerator: Refrigerate or freeze your leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. Throw them away if they are out longer than that.
  • 2 Inches thick to cool it quick: Store your food at a shallow depth–about 2 inches–to speed chilling.
  • 4 Days in the refrigerator–otherwise freeze it:  use your leftovers that are stored in the fridge within 4 days. The exceptions are stuffing and gravy– which should be used within 2 days. Reheat solid leftovers to 165 degrees F and liquid leftovers to a rolling boil. Toss what you don’t finish.

Food Safety

The following food safety information is from the CDC:

  • If power is out for less than two hours food in the refrigerator and freezer will be safe to eat. While the power is out keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.  This helps to keep food cold for a longer period of time.
  • The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about four  hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.
  • If power is out for longer than 2 hours follow these guidelines:
    • Freezer:  “A freezer that is half full will hold food safely for up to 24 hours. A full freezer will hold food safely for 48 hours. Do not open the freezer door if you can avoid it.”
    • Refrigerator: “Pack milk, other dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, gravy, and spoilable leftovers into a cooler surrounded by ice. Inexpensive Styrofoam coolers are fine for this purpose. Use a food thermometer to check the temperature of your food right before you cook or eat it. Throw away any food that has a temperature of more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Can Thawed Or Partially Thawed Food In The Freezer Be Frozen Again?

According to the USDA:  “food may be safely refrozen if the food still contains ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below. You will have to evaluate each item separately. Be sure to discard any items in either the freezer or the refrigerator that have come into contact with raw meat juices. Partial thawing and refreezing may reduce the quality of some food, but the food will remain safe to eat. See the attached charts for specific recommendations.”

What If Flood Water Covered Food Stored On Shelves And In Cabinets? 

According to the USDA follow these guidelines for what can be kept or should be thrown out:  “Do not eat any food that may have come into contact with flood water. Discard any food that is not in a waterproof container if there is any chance that it has come into contact with flood water. Food containers that are not waterproof include those with screw-caps, snap lids, pull tops, and crimped caps. Also, discard cardboard juice/milk/baby formula boxes and home canned foods if they have come in contact with flood water, because they cannot be effectively cleaned and sanitized.”

For more specific information please visit this USDA site.

Corn: Why You Shouldn’t Peek Under The Husk

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It’s the height of corn season and my local farmers’ market is bursting at the seams with fresh ears of corn.  Farmer’s tables are piled high with ears emptied from mesh bags pulled off their trucks. Corn, fresh from the farm. Awesome!

The tables are surrounded by people peeling down the husks and then tossing the corn either into their own bags or, when they find an ear that doesn’t hold up to their scrutiny – tossing it back, husk halfway peeled down.

What they don’t know is that they’re draining away that sugar sweet taste the minute their fingers start yanking the husk.

What To Look For

The best corn comes straight from the field and heads directly to the pot or grill. As soon as corn is picked its natural sugars start turning to starch – a process that can be slowed, somewhat, by refrigeration.  It’s best to eat fresh corn right away – but if you can’t, store it in the fridge.

Although you can get white, yellow, or white and yellow corn, the color doesn’t have much to do with the sweetness. Taste is determined by how long it’s been off the stalk.

The husk of really fresh corn should be firm, fresh, and green-looking.  The tassel, or silk, should be pale and silky, with a little brown at the top from sun discoloration.

Eyeball it — don’t strip it.  Hold the ear in your hand: if it’s warm, it’s starting to turn to starch; if it’s still cool, it’s probably fresh.  Don’t worry if you spot a worm or two — they go after the sweetest ears and usually only eat right around the top.  It’s fine to just break that part off.

Ways To Cook Corn

Fresh, sweet corn needs to cook for only a few minutes.

On the stove:  bring the water to a boil; drop in the shucked ears breaking them in two with your hands if the ears are too long (cutting them with a knife often crushes the kernels). Let the water return to a boil; boil hard for three to four minutes; remove immediately and serve (don’t let corn stay in the water).

In the microwave:  shuck the ears; if you want, spread them with butter; cover closely with plastic wrap or waxed paper; microwave on full power about 2 ½ minutes per ear.

On the grill:  Pull down the husks but don’t detach them; remove silks. Spread butter and salt on the kernels; pull the husks back up and twist closed.  Grill the ears about fifteen minutes — turning frequently.

How Many Calories Are In Your Wine Glass?

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Do you love wine with dinner – or maybe a glass of champagne at your friend’s wedding?  What about that wonderful, sweet, thick dessert wine to polish off a fantastic meal?

You may have your preference – most of us do – but whether it’s red, white, dry, sweet, or sparkling, it is really easy to overlook the calories in those long-stemmed glasses.

How Big Is Your Glass?

A standard portion of table wine (red or white) is 5 oz. and contains about 12% alcohol.  A standard portion of fortified wine, such as sherry or port, ranges from 3 – 4 oz. and contains about 17% alcohol.   But how many ounces are really in the glass of table wine that you usually drink?  Probably five to eight!

On average, an ounce of red or white table wine has about 24 calories, so you’re drinking anywhere from around 120 to 200 calories of wine – in one glass!

What About Sweeter Dessert Wines?

If you have a sweeter dessert wine after dinner it’s about double the calories per ounce although the standard serving is less:  usually 3 to 4 oz.  So figure about 140 to 190 calories for each glass.

Calories in Wine:

  • 1 oz. of Champagne:  19 calories
  • 1oz. of red table wine (burgundy, cabernet):  25 calories
  • 1 oz. dry white table wine (Chablis, Hock, Reisling):  24 calories
  • 1 oz. sweet white wine (Moselle, Sauterne, Zinfandel:  28 calories
  • 1 oz. rose:  20 calories
  • 1 oz. port (about 20% alcohol):  46 calories
  • 1 oz. sweet dessert wine:  47 calories

Things That Grow Together Go Together

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I have lots of tomatoes on my tomato plants: large ones, small ones, cranberry greenish heirlooms, and canary yellow ones. The voracious woodchucks and chipmunks (I watched a little Alvin wrestle a tomato off a plant on my deck, roll it across to the stairs, and then snag it in his mouth like a toddler carrying a giant beach ball) are feasting to their hearts’ content and there’s still a surplus.

An Experimental Mixture

Some unexpected company prompted me to use up some odds and ends in the fridge and to whittle down my tomato surplus.

Aside from my tomato overload, I had a big bowl of ripe peaches from the farmers market, lots of basil growing on the deck, and a hunk of feta cheese.

Do Things That Grow Together Go Together?

I had read somewhere that things that grow during the same growing season go together – an idea that my Mother, who grew up on a working farm, absolutely upholds.  So, I figured if it’s peach and tomato season, why not try them together?

To go with a roasted chicken I picked up at the market, I made what turned out to be an absolutely delicious tomato, peach, feta, and basil salad.

Tomato, Peach, Feta, And Basil Salad

I didn’t use any precise measurements although the cut up amounts of tomatoes and peaches looked about equal.

Ingredients:

  • Equal amounts of tomatoes and ripe peaches cut into small chunks (I halved the larger grape and cherry tomatoes)
  • Crumbled feta cheese to taste
  • Fresh basil to taste
  • Salt
  • Balsamic vinegar

1.  Core and seed the larger tomatoes

2.  Chop tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, salt them, and let them drain

3.  Remove the stones (pits) from the peaches and chop the peaches into bite-sized pieces about the same size as the tomatoes

4.  Make a chiffonade of basil (cut it into thin strips)

5.  Mix everything together

6.  Add the crumbled feta

7.  Mix again

8.  Correct the salt and add balsamic vinegar if desired

9.  Serve at room temperature

10. Refrigerate any leftovers – they’re great the next day as a type of tomato/peach salsa on fish, chicken, sandwiches or anything else you can think of.

How Many Calories Top Your Ice Cream Sundae?

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Do You Like Your Ice Cream Naked Or With Toppings?

Sometimes there’s nothing better than an ice cream sundae. Sundaes can be made with just about anything and I freely admit that my favorite part is the stuff you put on top of ice cream, not the ice cream itself.

So Many Choices

You can put just about anything on ice cream.  Perhaps broccoli or smoked salmon isn’t your choice, but somebody, somewhere in the world, has probably gotten very creative with ice cream toppings.

Toppings Can Add A Mountain Of Calories

The standard fare:  toppings like hot fudge, whipped cream, peanuts, walnuts in syrup, crushed heath bar, caramel sauce – can all add hundreds of calories to your sundae.  For instance:

  • Smucker’s Spoonable Hot Fudge Topping:  2tbsp, 140 calories, 4g fat, 24g carbs, 2g protein
  • Smucker’s Spoonable Ice Cream Topping Pecans in Syrup Topping:  1tbsp, 170 calories, 10g fat, 20g carbs, 1g protein
  • Regular Redi Whip:  2tbsp, 20 calories, 2g fat, 1g carbs
  • Cool Whip, extra creamy:  2tbsp, 32 calories
  • Regular M&M’s:  10 pieces,103 calories, 5.2g fat, 12.1g carbs, 1.9g protein
  • Peanut M&M’s:  about 16 pieces, 200 calories, 10.15g fat, 23.48g carbs, 3.72g protein
  • Peanuts (1oz): 160 calories, 14g fat, 5g carbs, 7g protein

Some Stand-bys Are Lower In Calories

  • Rainbow Sprinkles (Mr. Sprinkles):  1 tsp, 20 calories, 0.5g fat, 3g carbs, 0g protein
  • Chocolate Sprinkles (jimmies):  1 tbsp, 35 calories, 0g fat, 6g carbs, 0g protein
  • Smucker’s Spoonable Ice Cream Topping, Light Hot Fudge, Fat Free:  2 tbs, 90 calories, 23g carbs, 2g protein
  • 10 mini marshmallows:  22 calories, 0 fat, 5.7g carbs, .1g protein
  • 18 gummi bears: 140 calories, 0 fat, 43.5g carbs, 0 protein

Think Outside The Box For Lower Calorie Choices

The world is your oyster in terms of toppings.  Why not fruit, cereal, or a crushed up 100 calorie pack of anything? Here are some other suggestions:

  • Smucker’s Spoonable Pineapple Topping:  2 tbsp, 100 calories, 0g fat
  • Regular Redi Whip:  2 tbsp, 20 calories, 2g fat, 1g carbs
  • Fat Free Redi Whip:  2 tbsp, 5 calories, 0g fat, 1g carbs
  • Cool whip, light:  2 tbsp, 16 calories
  • Cool Whip, fat-free:  2 tbsp, 15 calories, 43.5g carbs, 0 protein
  • 1 mini box of raisins (.5 oz):  42 calories, 0.1g fat, 11.1g carbs, 0.4g protein
  • One medium banana: 105 calories, 0 fat, 27g carbs, 1g protein
  • One cup strawberry halves: 49 calories, 0.5g fat, 11.7g carbs, 1g protein
  • Sugar-free Jello pudding:  60 calories
  • One cup Froot Loops:  118 calories, 0.6g fat, 26.7g carbs, 1.4g protein
  • One cup blueberries:  83 calories,  0.5g fat, 21g carbs, 1.1g protein
  • Crushed pretzel sticks, 1 oz:  110 calories, 1g fat, 23g carbs, 3g protein