Juan Javier Rios |
Madrid (EFE).- The summer days arrive, days in which the refrigerators with food under the umbrella are as protagonists as taking a dip; but carrying food carries some risks that can be avoided with preventive behaviors such as not filling the fridge or saving tortillas for the next day.
These are just some of the tips that the food safety expert and professor at the Department of Bromatology and Food Technology at the University of Córdoba, Antonio Valero, exposes to EFE in this set-up before the arrival of the summer holidays with so that a day at sea does not end up in the hospital emergency room with some symptoms of salmonellosis, listeriosis or E. coli infection.
A bit of caution, common sense and information is enough to achieve that goal and these are some of the details provided by the expert.
At sea
In cold-processed perishable foods (such as a salmorejo or a seafood salpicón) it is important to take extreme precautions during its preparation with hygienic measures such as frequent hand washing, using paper instead of kitchen towels or thoroughly disinfecting utensils and surfaces .
In addition, after its preparation, it is advisable to cover it with film and pack it individually to avoid cross contamination with other foods.
Beyond these recommendations valid for any time of the year, it is important in summer to pay special attention to the correct refrigeration of the food in such a way that if it is carried in a refrigerator for the beach, it must be ensured that it is kept at the lowest possible temperature (lower than at 7-8 degrees).
Although it is “not easy” to achieve, this expert recommends keeping the fridge in a shady place or away from sunlight and, in any case, consuming it in the shortest possible time.
The cooler should not be full
In addition, the portable fridge should not be full (maximum 66% of its capacity) because that makes it easier for the temperature not to rise
For cooked foods, apart from the previous advice, it is a question of the dish being well cooked and exceeding 75 degrees in the center of the piece.
In the case of the classic potato omelette, it must be cooked until it is well curdled and not kept for a long time at excessively high temperatures on the beach because it makes it easier for any bacteria that might exist to multiply.
The recommendation is also that it be consumed within a maximum period of 24 hours after cooking, avoiding, for example, taking the same homemade tortilla two days to the beach.
Foods that require less care are pasteurized or sterilized, such as an omelet made with pasteurized eggs instead of fresh eggs; you also preserve them; or ready-to-eat prepared dishes, such as a salad.
However, these foods do not exempt from basic measures such as hand washing, utensils or disposable containers and maintaining the separation between raw and cooked foods.
at the barbecue
Also with the arrival of summer, barbecues continue to be organized, usually in houses with swimming pools, and for this type of celebration we must add, to everything applied for a day at the beach, the fact that fresh meat or other fresh products are usually handled.
In this case, fresh food should be exposed to room temperature for the shortest time possible.
Take special care with thick steaks.
You also have to be especially careful with thick steaks because they may seem to be well cooked but they have not reached the desired temperature inside to kill possible germs; it is advisable to keep the steak for a few minutes at 7-8 degrees (not refrigerated) before placing it on the grill.
On the other hand, Valero notes the need for the barbecue or the griddle to be very clean to remove soot with chemical contaminants that can end up in the food.
And he gives one last piece of advice with regard to water because it is also the time for pilgrimages and other festivities in the countryside that can lead to imprudence such as drinking water from non-potable wells: a practice “that is also usually a vehicle for the transmission of pathogens,” he warns. .