Earlier dishes They were one of the greatest signs of love from a mother or grandmother. However, today, with rhythm of life As crazy as we may be, they also provide the opportunity to eat at the place of study or work without losing enough time to warm up and enjoy it. Leaving aside the harms of such a fast life, the truth is that we cannot deny the benefits of plastic utensils. They allow us to organize our meals better, eat healthier, and avoid throwing away food if we spend too much time preparing food. But we must also consider risks associated with plastic utensils If we forget to save food safety.
There are many things we do with Tupperware every day, which may include food poisoning more or less seriously. But not only that. Risks associated with Tupperware containers may also include a higher risk of cancer.
In this article, we explain some of these risks associated with tupperware, so that if you have done so before, you can start to consider some changes in your routine. However, it should be kept in mind that our intention with this is to inform, not to alarm. If you haven’t already taken extra care of food safety, now is the time to do so. Do not panic.
Let’s start with the basics: don’t leave them out of the refrigerator.
This may seem too obvious. If we leave the dishes outside the refrigerator, it will be much easier for us to store them. colonized by fungi and bacteria. This is because, in general, most of them grow much better at room temperature, so the cold temperatures of the refrigerator will keep them in check, but they will soon multiply outside the refrigerator.
So, how long can we keep dishes out of the refrigerator? Usually it depends on ambient temperature. Although always, the less the better. Of course, in summer there will be much less time than in winter. But this does not mean that in winter you can do without cooling.
A maximum is usually recommended two hours in winter and one hour in summer or if the ambient temperature exceeds 30°C. The food in question will also have an impact. If, for example, it is a very salty food, it may not be necessary to cool it so quickly. The same thing applies if there is little water in them. In fact, drying and salting have long been traditional ways of preserving food. But even so, these days it will always be much safer to store them in the refrigerator.
Do not defrost at room temperature
If one of the most important risks associated with plastic utensils is leaving food out of the refrigerator, we cannot ignore danger of defrosting at room temperature.
Tupperware can be stored in the refrigerator for a certain period of time, which will depend on the food it contains. But after this time it is better to freeze them. When it comes time to take them, many people still resort to thawing them at room temperature.
After all, it seems that as long as there is little ice left, microorganisms will not be able to multiply. But this is not true. As soon as the temperature starts to riseMany fungi and bacteria from the environment, or even those that have been dormant due to the cold, begin to multiply in parts of the food that have already released water and thawed. Therefore, the best way to defrost food is in the refrigerator. If we forgot to take them out in time, we can always use the microwave or oven, depending on what kind of food it is. But never at room temperature.
The risks associated with Tupperware also depend on the material.
Traditionally, cookware was made of plastic. Today, most continue to exist, although there are many more types of plastics than ever before. Tupperware was born as a brand in 1947.
Some indicate that they can withstand high temperatures and therefore can be placed in the microwave. This is very useful because you can heat what they contain directly without changing containers. For people who eat in the office, this is victory victory.
Now, even though these are materials whose safety has been thoroughly studied, for introducing hot foods or foods that need to be heated, it will always be much more appropriate to use glass.
In any case, if we do not want or cannot buy glassware, it is important to make sure that the plastic from which it is made is suitable for human consumption. Several things can happen here.
On the one hand, Tupperware reusableWell beverageslike water, or takeaway. In the first case, the container may not be suitable for holding food inside, while in the second, it is clear that it can hold food, but perhaps it should not be heated. Therefore, it is important to indicate symbol cups and forks intended for consumption, and a microwave oven that can be heated.
On the other hand, the dishes may be old and the plastic used may not be suitable for eating. Even if it was conceived with exactly this origin. There are still those who keep lunch boxes from their grandmothers, so it’s not so crazy. In these cases, these characters will also not be present, so they should be stopped.
In this way, we will avoid using utensils from which food may fall out. toxic or possibly carcinogenic substances. And while we care about food safety, the container is also important.
Be careful with rice and pasta.
There are some foods that, no matter how carefully the cold chain and food safety are followed, should not be reheated. This is the case, for example, with rice and pasta. Both products are an ideal breeding ground for bacteria called Bacillus cereuswhich can be very dangerous.
It typically lives in soil, so it can be found in foods such as cereals, legumes, vegetables or aromatic herbs. However, the greatest risk comes from cooked grains such as rice or pasta. This is because the humidity from cooking makes it much easier for it to spread through spores.
Although cooking can inactivate many microorganisms, including these bacteria, it cannot do so due to its properties. disputes, so he will continue to play at breakneck speed. For example, cooked rice at 30°C will double its bacterial population in just 30 minutes.
A minimal inoculum is required for bacteria to cause disease. If the population is very small, then perhaps do not cause symptoms. But because it multiplies so quickly, it poses one of the biggest risks associated with tupperware.
For this reason, it is important when cooking rice or pasta to try to cook the correct amount. We’ve all made pasta for a symphony orchestra and like to store it in the refrigerator for a few days. Not throwing away food is normal, but this preservation may be dangerous.
More dangerous than it seems
Of course, rice and pasta should be stored in the refrigerator immediately, but even if done correctly, they should never be stored longer than 24 hours. And, if possible, you should not reheat it, since, as we see, as soon as already cooked rice or pasta is heated, bacteria begin to multiply very quickly.
So while cooking by eye is a gift for some people, the amount of rice and pasta should be measured correctly to avoid such situations. And, as a rule, Bacillus cereus It only causes food poisoning with digestive symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, but in extreme cases can even lead to death. This is not the most common occurrence, especially with a competent immune system, but it will always happen. Prevention is better than cure.
Dangers of Fruit Dishes
When we prepare dishes, we don’t just add cooked food to them. For example, we can buy a watermelon in the summer, but we are too lazy to cut it every time we need it, so we decide to spend some time. cut it whole and then place all the pieces in a Tupperware container in the refrigerator.
So far everything seems to be correct. But there is a problem. When we cut fruit into small pieces, we increase the contact surface so that bacteria can grow on it. If we add to this that sugar and water are a microbial amusement park, then the best thing if we decide to make a fruit bowl is that they cannot be consumed more than 24 hours.
The same thing happens with already prepared and washed salads in bags. They can also be a great option to add to our tableware, but we should never keep the bag open, or salad bowl, for more than 24 hours, no matter how long we store it in the refrigerator.
Don’t mix products
We have already seen that not all products pose the same risk. Some last longer in the refrigerator or can even last a little longer without refrigeration. Therefore, when preparing dishes, it is ideal that do not mix products. That is, if we have plastic utensils with chicken curry and rice, we should use plastic utensils with compartments, one for chicken and another for rice. Or, failing that, two dishes. This way, bacteria that might grow in the rice won’t mix with the chicken.
In short, the risks associated with Tupperware can be completely avoided if food safety is taken into account. This way they will still be containers full of love or free time rather than a possible source of food poisoning. The change is worth it.
Source: Hiper Textual
