5 MYTHS ABOUT FRIDGE FOOD SAFETY

Nothing chills table talk like a bite of spoiled food or past-its-prime produce. Keep your knowledge fresh by tossing these myths.

- KATE ROCKWOOD

1. MYTH: You need to cool down leftovers before they go in the fridge.

MYTHBUSTER

Nope—you can put warm, or even hot, food directly in there. In fact, that’s better than leaving it out to cool, says Jennifer Pallian, a Vancouver, Canada–based registered dietitian and food scientist. Cooling food in the fridge “reduces the time it spends in the danger zone—between 40°F and 140°F—where bacteria multiply quickly,” she says. Just be sure to split up large quantities, like a big batch of soup or a piece of meat, into several shallow containers so they’ll cool faster. And cover leftovers to avoid contamination. “A large number of microorganisms are cold-tolerant and live in the fridge,” says Bryan Quoc Le, Ph.D., a food scientist and the author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered. And while modern fridges can handle the heat from hot food, it’s still smart to keep warm leftovers away from sensitive items like dairy products and meat, he adds.

2. MYTH: You can’t refreeze foods after you’ve thawed them.

MYTHBUSTER