Page 21 - Florida Sentinel 9-7-18

Health
FIsh
Keep it on ice in the fridge. When fresh, whole fish have clear and rounded eyes, not flat or cloudy. Skin is shiny and springy to the touch with no milky slime. Filets should smell fresh and mild and have no darkness or drying at the edges. Toss fish that looks lifeless, feels mushy,
.or smells. Wrap any you don’t cook within 2 days in plastic or foil and freeze it.
Shellfish
Bad shellfish can cause serious illness, so don’t take any chances. Ideally, you should buy shrimp, scallops, or lobster tails the day you're going to use them. If live, they should close when you flick them with a fork or finger. Toss oysters, clams, and mussels with cracked or bro-
. ken shells, and throw away anything that seems dead or stuck in the open position.
Eggs
These can last 3 to 5 weeks if they’re uncooked in the shell in the refrigerator. They don’t freeze well whole, whether raw or cooked, but you can beat the yolks and whites together and put the sealed liquid in the freezer. Dishes made with eggs, like casseroles, pies, and quiches, should last 3 to 5 days in the fridge or a month or two in the freezer.
Uncooked Beef
It should be good for 3 to 5 days in the fridge, but throw it out after that. If it’s vacuum sealed, that might give you a few more days. Frozen solid, it stays safe for many months, though flavor and tex- ture may go slowly downhill. Follow this freezer guide:
Cooke.d Meat
Roasts: 6 to 12 months
Steaks and chops: 4 to 6 months Stew meats: 3 to 4 months
Keep cooked chicken or beef in the fridge and use it within 5 days. Ham can be OK for up to 2 weeks. But it’s impor- tant to take care when you prepare any kind of meat: Wash your hands with soap and hot water after handling raw meat or fish, and throw away any food
t h a t t.
ouches the juices. Use different cut- ting boards and utensils for other food.
Cheese
Butter
Heat, light, and air will turn it rancid, which gives it a sour, un- pleasant smell and taste. Fresh from the store, it’ll be good in your
fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can freeze it for up to 9 months if it’s wrapped well in plastic. If you need to soften it, it’s fine to leave it on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes.
Hard kinds like cheddar can stay good a long time. Just toss them if they start to get moldy. Others are also safe for a while after their “sell by” date. If they’re medium-firm, like mozzarella or
Muenster, they can last months. Cream cheese is
good for 2 to 3.
weeks, but soft cheeses like cottage cheese and ricotta only last about 10 days.
Mayonnaise
This includes any sauce or salad -- coleslaw, potato salad, aioli -- made with mayo. Throw it away if it’s been out for more than 8 hours. And “out” in this case means a temperature higher than 50 F. The same goes if it’s passed the “use by” date on the jar.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-B