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It's the most dangerous virus you've ever heard of food poisoning – at least until a few days ago.
But now, listeria is making headlines and it's not pretty.
The deaths in Europe since 2015, and 43 products of frozen sweet and sour vegetables – from Lidl, Iceland, Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose – are currently being recalled because they could contain the potentially lethal virus.
If you have vegetables in your freezer, the advice of the Food Standards Agency is to throw them away right away. If you do not have it, everything is fine, but it's still worth it to learn how to keep frozen foods safe.
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"Things can go wrong with the way you handle frozen foods before they go out of the market. freezer and when they go out, but also while they're in it, "says Dr. Lisa Ackerley, aka Doctor Hygiene, who has over 35 years of experience in environmental health
Here are the best tips experts to prevent your freezer from making you sick …
1. Cook the vegetables if the package says it
Many packets of frozen vegetables need to be cooked, so check the etiquette. case of the current outbreak of listeriosis, the disease is probably attributable to the consumption of sweet corn thawed in salads and sandwiches.If it had been cooked, the insect would have been killed. [19659002] "It is very important to check the status label and know that if the food is not ready to eat, it could be dangerous without cooking "Dr. Ackerley
You may be surprised to find that some fruits – berries, for example – should be cooked , so do not use them to get your morning porridge up directly from the freezer.
2. Make sure food is safe when it comes in.
Harmful bacteria rarely grow to freezer temperature, but you can accidentally make food dangerous before placing it.
If You Freeze Foods That You Have Cooked
Dr. Ackerley says that if the food lags too long at a temperature that is not cold enough (below 5 ° C) to suspend the food. activity of any bacteria that might be present, but is not hot enough (above 70C) to kill them either, the numbers can reach huge levels.
If you then put food like this in the freezer, the bacteria will not be killed – they will simply enter a state of suspended animation ready to push further and make you sick
if you do not do it enough when he goes out.
The best idea is to lower the food to refrigerator temperature before putting it in the freezer and splitting large amounts of hot food into smaller ones to allow for faster cooling.
3. It takes longer, but it takes longer to thaw frozen foods, especially for larger foods such as meat joints, by not allowing raw meat to contaminate ready-to-eat foods in the refrigerator.
On the counter, at room temperature, you can get food parts that become hot enough to allow the bacteria to become uncontrollable.
Another method that works, especially for whole chickens and turkeys is to immerse them in the water. , adding ice cubes to keep the water cool. When the ice has melted, it is hinting that the water is getting too hot. At this point, add more until the poultry has completely defrosted.
It is also possible to defrost smaller portions of food in the microwave, but if so, continue cooking immediately after thawing
4. Store it properly
If your ice cubes jostle with your fish sticks and frozen meat, your freezing skills must be refurbished.
"As in your refrigerator, the meat, fish and poultry kept in a separate area of the freezer – conveniently the bottom shelf – so that no contamination from the package does can reach a ready-to-eat food, "says Dr. Ackerley
. Wrap it up nicely
By carefully packing frozen foods in freezer bags, you'll protect them a lot.
This includes clips on bags of vegetables and fruit that could spill into the freezer and – if you're unlucky – also spread listeria.
Being air tight is important for keeping the food good too, as if the air was coming to the surface of your food – the meat in particular – it can cause the burn of the freezer. can develop rancid flavors.
"Use proper freezer bags rather than a plastic film," says Dr. Ackerley. "They are sturdier and less likely to break."
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