How to prepare and store food during the rainy season.

(Baonghean.vn) - During the rainy season, power outages and floods are common, making the supply of food, water, and medicine more difficult than usual. Therefore, stocking up on long-lasting food will help ensure your family's health during the rainy season. Here are a few things you can do:

Food items that need to be stockpiled

1. Fresh food

Fresh foods can be refrigerated for 3-5 days. Therefore, housewives should buy pork, beef, and chicken in advance, then prepare them and store them in the freezer. When needed, they can be thawed and cooked as usual.

It's advisable to prepare vegetables and fruits that can be stored for a long time during rainy and stormy weather. (Illustrative image/Source: tieudungplus)

Besides meat, housewives should buy 3-5 types of green vegetables such as cabbage, water spinach, sweet potato leaves, gourds, and pumpkins, and store them in a dry place. In the cool weather of rainy days, green vegetables can be kept outside for 2 days and in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Root vegetables such as gourds, pumpkins, potatoes, and carrots can be kept outside for up to 4-5 days.

And one indispensable food item is eggs. If stored properly, eggs can last for 15-20 days.

2. Dry foods

Housewives should check that they have enough rice, salt, fish sauce, soy sauce, cooking oil, etc.

Canned foods are essential during storms. (Illustrative image/Source: Flickr)

Some dry goods that should be on hand during rainy and stormy days include: dried fish, instant noodles, canned goods such as canned meat, canned fish, instant sausages, dried shredded pork, and various types of bread, pastries, and condensed milk.

If there is information about a severe and prolonged storm, you should prepare plenty of bread, pastries, and condensed milk in case the worst happens and cooking is not possible, so you still have ready-to-eat food.

For canned foods, pay attention to the expiration date and plan a balanced diet for your family.

3. Drinking water

It's advisable to stock up on bottled water during storms. (Illustrative image/Source: TTO)

First, families should take measures to store clean water in tanks, containers, buckets, etc., in case of water cuts. In addition, they should prepare plenty of bottled drinking water, bottled fruit juice, and canned milk. All should be stored in a dry place so that they can be easily used when needed. They should not be stored in areas of the house that are prone to flooding.

A person should have at least 3 liters of water per day, or 45 liters for a family of four, and it's best to stock up on drinking water for at least three days in case of emergencies (even if you can't boil drinking water).

How to store food

1. Check the refrigerator temperature.

Keep food at a safe temperature. (Illustrative image/Source: healthplus)

Refrigerators help extend the shelf life of food for a short time, but the temperature inside the refrigerator must be adjusted to the appropriate level. Studies show that if the refrigerator is too "warm," it creates an ideal environment for harmful bacteria to grow.

The ideal refrigerator temperature is below 40°F. At this temperature, food will be safer to consume.

2. During a power outage

When the power goes out, refrigerator and freezer doors must be completely closed to maintain the cold temperature. A freezer full of food, if the door is tightly closed, will keep things cold for about 48 hours, while a freezer that is only half full will keep things cold for 24 hours. Refrigerators, however, will only maintain their coldness for about 4 hours after a power outage.

Four hours after a power outage, spoiled food must be discarded. Although this food may not smell bad, it can still contain bacteria that can cause illness to you and your family, especially those with weakened immune systems such as children, pregnant women, and the elderly.

The following foods should be discarded: cooked or raw meat, fish, eggs, milk, and dairy products. Also, leftover food from previous days, such as tuna, rice, pasta, salads, dressings, etc., should be thrown away.

3. When the power is restored

Now it's time to check if the food in your freezer is still fresh and safe to use. If you've placed a thermometer in the freezer and the temperature is still below 40°F, your food is still safe to eat. If you want to be extra careful, you can check each package of food; if it still has ice or is below 40°F, you can continue to keep it refrigerated or cook it.

The next step is to discard any spoiled food in the refrigerator and freezer and clean out the refrigerator. Once the temperature in the refrigerator drops below 40°F, you can put fresh food in.

4. When the house is flooded

You shouldn't throw away food that has been submerged in water because it could very well be a breeding ground for germs. (Illustrative image/Source: Lao Dong newspaper)

Storms are often accompanied by flooding and can contaminate drinking water sources. It's best to boil water, let it cool, or drink bottled water during this time.

Do not eat food that has come into contact with floodwater or food that has been taken from containers that have been soaked by floodwater.

Soda bottles, soft drink bottles sealed with screw caps, canned food, etc., were exposed to floodwater, and these items cannot be sterilized.

As for ready-made foods stored in metal cans, they can be sterilized by washing the can thoroughly and then disinfecting it with a solution consisting of one tablespoon of bleach dissolved in one gallon of clean water. Afterwards, remember to remove the old label, write the expiration date and other necessary information on the can.

Hoa Le

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