The harmful way of storing meat in the refrigerator is causing many households to suffer.

Vietnam is facing its most serious outbreak of African swine fever ever, with the disease spreading to 29 provinces and cities, forcing authorities to cull 1.2 million pigs.

Faced with the above information, millions of families are worried. Some boycott pork for fear of eating infected meat, while others increase their stockpiling of clean pork in the refrigerator to eat gradually.

Store frozen meat for only 2-3 weeks

Although not boycotting pork, to have a source of fresh meat, many families now regularly order clean pork products to store in the freezer to eat gradually within 1-2 months.

Many families even consider the refrigerator as a treasure, thinking that they can store food for as long as they want, so many families' refrigerators are always full of food stored day after day, month after month.

However, Dr. Nguyen Huy Thinh, a food technology expert, emphasized that refrigerators only temporarily stop and slow down the growth of bacteria, so even freezing does not mean permanent preservation.

Dr. Thinh said that if the government has a plan to build a national cold storage warehouse as proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, with temperatures up to -50 degrees Celsius, pork can be preserved for 6 months to 1 year.

Pork, like many other meats, should only be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 2-3 weeks. When storing, cut it into bite-sized pieces to avoid defrosting multiple times, which can cause bacterial contamination.

However, if the refrigerator is normal at home, with the lowest temperature of -12 to -18 degrees, the meat can be preserved for a maximum of 2-3 weeks. If left longer, the meat will lose its nutrients and will no longer be delicious.

According to Dr. Thinh, 2-3 weeks is applicable to good quality meat, freshly slaughtered meat, fresh meat, but if people buy meat that has been displayed at the market for many hours and has been contaminated with bacteria, the preservation time is shorter.

Once the meat has been thawed, it should not be refrozen if it is not used up because when thawed, bacteria will grow again or be infected with new bacteria, affecting the quality of the food. In case of staphylococcus aureus infection when the meat is taken out, when cooked again, it will still cause poisoning.

Therefore, before storing, you need to divide the meat into small pieces, then wrap them separately or store them in small boxes enough for each meal.

Besides defrosting in the microwave, Dr. Thinh recommends the simplest way to defrost is to put the frozen meat in the refrigerator half a day in advance or defrost at room temperature a few hours in advance.

Improper storage makes the refrigerator a breeding ground for bacteria

With frozen food, if food is not stored properly in the refrigerator, it will be a breeding ground for bacteria due to cross-contamination.

Foods that have been pickled with salt, sugar, or vinegar, stored in sealed jars and refrigerated at below 4 degrees Celsius can be preserved for a very long time.

However, with processed foods or vegetables, you should not leave them for more than 3 days.

Raw food should not be mixed with cooked food in the refrigerator compartment. Foods in the refrigerator compartment should be stored in sealed containers with lids.

To store leftover food in the refrigerator, before putting it in the refrigerator, you need to reheat it to kill all bacteria, then let it cool, and store it separately in covered containers. Note that food containers need to be made of safe products, especially plastic containers. Food that has been stored in the refrigerator must be recooked before eating, and cannot be eaten immediately.

For fruits and vegetables, wash them thoroughly before putting them in boxes or plastic bags. The safest way is to wash them several times under running water. According to a study by a group of scientists led by Kilonzo-Nthenge (USA) published in the Journal of Food Preservation in 2006, this is the cleanest way to wash fruits and vegetables, better than washing with 5% vinegar or 13% lemon juice.

Root vegetables and fruits such as bananas, apples, pears, mangoes, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. should not be stored in the refrigerator, just keep them in a cool place.

The refrigerator compartment has uneven cold. The bottom compartment is colder than the top compartment. In the same compartment, the inside is colder than the outside, so foods that spoil easily should be placed in the colder position.