For cooked foods (such as banh chung, banh tet, gio, cha, gio xao, etc.), people can store them in cool, dry, and dust-free conditions.

Proper food storage in the refrigerator is a concern for many families, ensuring that food stays fresh, retains its nutritional value, and is safe for consumption.

(Illustrative photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

As the traditional Lunar New Year approaches, people everywhere are busily shopping for food to use during the holiday. Dr. Ngo Thi Ha Phuong from the Institute of Nutrition (Ministry of Health) said that traditional foods (pork sausage, ham, stir-fried pork sausage, fermented pork rolls, sticky rice cakes, etc.) are often bought before Tet to stock up. Depending on the characteristics of each type of food, people need to preserve them in different ways.

For cooked foods (such as banh chung, banh tet, gio, cha, stir-fried gio, etc.), people can store them in a cool, dry place away from dust and moisture. However, given Vietnam's hot and humid climate, food is easily attacked by bacteria, fungi, and mold, leading to spoilage and food poisoning; people should not stockpile too much food, only buy what they need to avoid waste and ensure food safety.

Banh chung and banh tet are delicious traditional dishes, rich in nutrients and relatively complete in terms of food groups (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids). People often believe that banh chung shouldn't be refrigerated because it can become hard. However, in hot weather, it's still advisable to store them in the refrigerator, cutting only the portion you need and covering the rest with plastic wrap. When taking them out of the refrigerator, reheat them by boiling, steaming, or frying before eating. However, families should limit eating fried banh chung as this adds extra fat (oil/grease) to their daily diet, which is not good for their health.

For cakes with white mold or a sour, fermented smell (especially at the corners) on the outer crust, the moldy and fermented parts must be cut off, and only the undamaged parts should be used. Vietnamese sausage and ham are delicious dishes characteristic of Vietnamese cuisine and indispensable during the traditional Lunar New Year.

There are many types of Vietnamese sausage: pork sausage, beef sausage, pig ear sausage, stir-fried sausage, etc., and each family usually has at least two types, a little of each, to diversify their meals. The method of preserving pork sausage, beef sausage, and other Vietnamese sausages is the same, all kept at temperatures below 25 degrees Celsius. When properly preserved, sausages can last 4-6 days in the refrigerator, and even about 10 days in the freezer.

For jellied meat, it's best to divide it into small, individual servings and store them in the refrigerator. As for pickled onions, they should be stored in a cool, airy place. When eating, use clean chopsticks to pick up the onions, rinse them with cooled boiled water or diluted salt water, then peel off the outer layer and eat the white, tender part. Doctor Ngo Thi Ha Phuong affirms that for other cooked foods such as vegetables, people should not store them in the refrigerator.

The reason is that green vegetables contain quite a lot of nitrates. If cooked vegetables are left for too long, bacteria will break them down, and the nitrates will turn into nitrites – a carcinogenic substance. Cooked foods should be eaten immediately; cooked food should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Leftover food should be reheated, allowed to cool, and then refrigerated. If hot food is immediately put into the refrigerator (where the temperature is low), the food will spoil, the water in the food will condense into steam, promoting the growth of harmful bacteria and leading to food poisoning.

Nutrition experts advise that refrigerators are not "magic boxes" for preserving food. Food taken out of the refrigerator should only be used once for the next meal. Housewives should prepare only enough food, avoiding excess, as reheating leftovers reduces nutrient content. In particular, people should absolutely not mix raw and cooked food. Food stored in the refrigerator should be in separate, tightly sealed containers. Cooked and processed food should be placed on the top shelf of the refrigerator; avoid overloading the refrigerator to allow for proper air circulation.

If the refrigerator is full of food, families need to adjust the temperature to a lower setting and clean the refrigerator regularly.

According to Health and Life