reheating guide

THE FOODSTUFFS GUIDE TO PREPARED FOODS SAFELY

Bringing Home Prepared Foods
Bringing home Foodstuffs prepared fresh foods can make your friends and family think you're a gourmet cook, but remember to always follow these guidelines before serving or reheating.

Shopping & Travel Procedures
Take home chilled or frozen foods as soon as possible and refrigerate or re-freeze immediately. If you plan to have your food in the car for a 1/2 of an hour or longer, keep cold foods in a cooler. If left out of refrigeration for more than three hours, chilled items should be discarded.

Reheating Procedures
Even though your prepared foods have been properly refrigerated, remember to use caution when reheating. Inadequate heating can cause illnesses, especially if the food has been left in the danger zone. The "DANGER ZONE" is the temperature range in which bacteria can grow, between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Foods can reach the danger zone most easily when hot foods are not kept above 140 degrees and cold foods are not kept below 40 degrees for more than two hours.

In order to reheat properly, use and oven, microwave or stovetop and heat foods thoroughly to 165 degrees -- until hot and simmering. Remember to bring gravies and sauces to a rolling boil.

If heating in a microwave oven, cover the food, rotate the dish and stir the food often so that it heats evenly. Consult your microwave oven's manual for complete instructions including what types of containers are microwave-safe. Some of our deli-style containers are not appropriate for microwave or conventional ovens and products in them should be transferred to microwave- or oven-safe dishes before reheating. Always reference the recommended safe cooking temperatures as shown in the accompanying thermometer.

SERVING SAFELY

Buffet-Style Serving
Here are some great reminders for serving food buffet-style:

• Remember the danger zone and always keep hot foods at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer by using the appropriate warming containers.
• Keep cold foods at 40 degrees or colder by nesting dishes in bowls of ice or replacing small dishes often.

Ensure that each dish has its own serving utensil, so that guests do not contaminate from one dish to another. Be sure to provide a serving spoon and plates for dips.

Pastries
Be sure to keep ALL whipped cream, lemon curd & custard desserts refrigerated until ready to serve and let buttercream cakes come to room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

• Whipped cream or custard pastries have a refrigerator life of 3-4 days.
  
• Lemon curd pastries have a refrigerator life of 4-5 days.

Outdoor Events
Picnic and tailgate parties can be lots of fun as long as you plan for the situation.

• Keep chilled foods refrigerated in a well-insulated cooler packed with ice or reusable cold packs.
• Make sure the foods you pack in the cooler have been kept below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and have not been left out while packing for longer than 2 hours.
• Be sure to keep the cooler closed as much as possible. Also, drain the water and add new ice as necessary.
• Don't set up any chilled food items until shortly before serving.
• Remember the 2 hour rule when food is removed from the cooler. If the outside temperature is over 90 degrees, the two hour rule drops to only one hour, so plan accordingly.

If serving picnic style, please remember to re-chill items as necessary in order to keep them cool throughout the course of the event.

Freshness Safety
We encourage you to re-serve our gourmet foods as leftovers, but if you're not sure how long it's been in the refrigerator or you're unsure about the smell, throw it out.

• Any food that has been left on a buffet table or in a cooler with melting ice for more than two hours must be discarded.
• In general, refrigerated leftovers should be used within three days. Freezing your leftovers will protect their quality for two to four months.