Food poisoning is officially one of the ten major dangers for human’s wellbeing. While food poisoning can happen because of contamination of nutritional products, in many situations the contamination takes place because the products are getting spoilt.
Unfortunately, the majority of people believe it is simple to understand whether a product is spoilt or not. As a rule, spoilt products taste and smell bad and, in many cases you do not even need to smell them or taste them as their appearance has already changed into a field overgrown by fungi and bacteria. It is also pretty simple to understand a product might be spoilt if it has already reached its expiration date.
It turns out that identifying spoilt food is a way more complex than you might imagine. Many products are already spoilt even though none of their qualities shave changed yet. It is important to be aware of such products so that you are able to keep yourself and your family safe.
Meat
Meat is one of the most dangerous products when it comes to contamination. Meat can have not only pathogenic bacteria but also parasites. In addition to it, the bacteria and fungi which are growing on the meat when it starts rotting are among the most dangerous and basically, these are the same microorganisms growing on corpses. For that reason, you should be particularly careful with meat.
What should you do while cooking meat to avoid danger?
First of all, you should not keep fresh meat outside the fridge as it can cause rapid proliferation of microorganisms. If you are not sure whether you are going to cook this piece of meat today, it is better to freeze it instead of just keeping it in the fridge.
Providing you want to cook it the same day you have purchased it, it is advised to marinate it for at least 30 minutes in the sauce consisting of alcohol for example wine or acids such as lemon juice. This will not only improve the taste of this product but also minimise the amount of microorganisms in it.
Pay your attention to the place where you are cutting the meat you would like to cook. It is strongly recommended to use separate chopping boards for meat and other products which will help you to avoid cross-contamination.
It is crucial to cook meat in the temperature of at least 120℃. If you are cooking during a hot summer day, it is better to refrain from making any dishes which are based on half-cooked meat. The same goes for products made of minced meat.
If you are purchasing minced meat in the shop rather than making it on your own, you cannot be sure about the pieces of meat used for its preparation. For that reason, you should thoroughly fry the cutlets you are making.
Finally, you should be aware of the fact sausages and other processed meat can get spoilt as well especially if you have already opened the package or have cut it into pieces and left in the fridge. Such products should be consumed within a couple of days.
Fish and other seafood
If you purchase fish and seafood on a regular basis, you are certainly aware of the fact frozen products of this group are usually cheaper than the fresh ones. Indeed, fresh fish can be rather expensive and for many people can be even a delicacy.
There are many reasons for it including the fact that the fish which has not been frozen is featured by a better quality of meat which first of all results in a better taste. In addition to it, unlike frozen fish, fresh fish does not contain such amount of water.
Unfortunately, the possibility of getting ill after eating fresh fish is a way higher than it is for eating frozen fish. You do not necessarily have to consume sushi or any other dishes made of completely raw fish. The fish purchased fresh and then cooked is still more dangerous than the fish purchased frozen.
The major problem related to buying fresh fish is simple. You just cannot keep it cold enough while transporting it from the shop to your home.
Undeniably, the task of transporting fresh fish or sea products home is particularly challenging during summer. For that reason, it is recommended to purchase frozen fish in the summer.
Note that fresh fish and fresh seafood should never be kept outside the fridge and while being inside the fridge, should not be kept their for longer than 12 hours.
Fish can be already spoiling and still look absolutely fine and have no changes in its smell yet.
Frozen meat and fish
When it comes to the products which might be already spoilt even though it is impossible to distinguish it so far, it is necessary to pay your attention to frozen fish and meat.
First of all, you should understand that freezing in household freezers is not a form of pasteurisation or sterilisation of products unlike some people believe. Freezing products is just slowing down the process of spoiling but it cannot destroy microorganisms whatsoever.
Additionally, meat and fish cannot stay inside the fridge forever as the spoiling process is still on although not active. Still, once you take the products out of the fridge the proliferation of microorganisms will be even more intensive, so you should cook them really quickly.