September 13, 2001

Prairie Fare: Chill Out!

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

A few years ago, my colleagues and I at North Dakota State University worked on a food safety project. After gaining permission, we went into the coolers at many restaurants. In several restaurants we found 5-gallon plastic buckets filled with various foods like chili, gravy and rice. The large buckets were used because they were convenient for storing food prepared in advance. The buckets also were free with the purchase of 5 gallons of pickles.

Several of the managers obliged when we asked if we could use our computerized food thermometers to record the cool-down time of different foods. According to the Food Code published by the Food and Drug Administration, food in foodservice establishments needs to be cooled from 140 F to 41 F within a total of six hours. Bacteria can thrive if left too long in this temperature range.

We sanitized our recording thermometers, propped them in the buckets of hot food and returned the next day to gather our data. After nearly 20 hours, the rice was still over 50 F. Rice is a potentially hazardous food if it is not cooled rapidly when prepared ahead of time. The 5-gallon pail of chili registered over 50 F after 18 hours in the cooler.

We showed the managers the results of the cooling experiment and some information about foodborne illness outbreaks. Improper chilling of foods is one of the leading causes of outbreaks. That’s why it’s so important to divide large quantities of food such as roasts and large batches of food into smaller amounts. Ideally, thick foods should be no more than 2 inches deep. Since the managers didn’t want their restaurant to be a future headline in a newspaper, they changed their practices and started using shallow metal pans.

Cooling foods promptly is equally important at home. For consumers, USDA recommends that perishable foods spend no more than two hours in the "Danger Zone" (41 to 140 F). In recognition of National Food Safety Education Month, and this year’s theme, "Be Cool – Chill Out," take this short quiz. The answers follow.

True/False: It’s safe to thaw foods like ground beef in the sink or on the counter.

True/False: Foods with freezer burn are unsafe to eat.

True/False: When storing foods in the refrigerator, a safe order from top down would be raw chicken, salad ingredients, bread and soda pop.

True/False: Freezing kills all bacteria.

True/False: Refrigeration kills all bacteria.

True/False: It’s safe to keep custard pies at room temperature.

True/False: To avoid spoiling other food in the refrigerator, it’s best to cool foods to room temperature before refrigerating.

The answers? They were all false. For more information about food safety, visit the Fight BAC! Website at www.fightbac.org 

Keeping foods cold is an important food safety rule, but just because foods are cool doesn’t always mean they’re safe. Worth mentioning is a worrisome type of bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes, which grows fairly well at refrigerator temperature. Listeria has been associated with cold ready-to-eat foods like hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, deli-style meats and unpasteurized milk. Pregnant women, infants, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. The symptoms, which may take three weeks to appear, are fever, chills, headaches, backache and diarrhea. Food safety experts advise that even "ready to eat" meats should be heated to steaming for vulnerable groups. If you don’t fall into one of those groups, remember to observe the "use by" date on packages of ready-to-eat meats, or freeze it for longer term storage.

Here’s a recipe for an old family favorite. If time is short, prepare the meatloaves the night before, refrigerate and bake the following day. Make an oven meal by serving with baked squash and baked potatoes. And remember to chill any leftovers quickly.

Individual Meatloaves

1/3 cup wheat crackers, crushed
1 tablespoon instant dried minced onion or 2 tablespoons 
minced fresh onion
1/3 cup skim milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon basil leaves
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound lean ground beef

Preheat oven to 375 F. If using dried onion, soak crackers and dried onion in milk until soft. Add egg and seasonings. Mix well. Gently mix ground beef with milk mixture. Shape into four individual loaves, about 3 1/2 inches by 2 inches by 1 1/4 inches. Place on shallow baking pan. Bake until the internal temperature of each loaf reaches 160 F (about 25 minutes). Makes 4 servings. Each serving contains about 230 calories, 14 grams of fat, 119 milligrams cholesterol and 194 milligrams of sodium.

Makes 5 servings. Each 1-cup serving (made with low-sodium bouillon) contains about 90 calories, 2 grams fat, 178 milligrams sodium and 0 grams cholesterol.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Gary Moran, (701) 231-7865, gmoran@ndsuext.nodak.edu