What Foods are Sold with Restrictions at a Farmers’ Market?

By Ethel Tiersky

Jul 09, 2018

Farmers' MarketRestrictions and prohibitions on what foods can be sold and how they must be handled vary from state to state and from community to community.  You might find the rules  in your state and community listed online.

 

Regulations about foods commonly differentiate between those that are potentially hazardous  and those that are not.  Some farmers’ markets may prohibit all potentially hazardous ones, but most prohibit only some of these and stipulate how those they allow must be handled.  Some foods classified as potentially hazardous include dairy products, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, sliced melons, raw sprouts, cut tomatoes, tofu, and garlic-in-oil mixtures.   All of these must be kept at the proper cool temperatures to avoid a dangerous level of pathogens.

How do summer squash and winter squash differ?

By John Gregerson

Jun 13, 2018

Winter squash--also known as hard squash--comes in round, elongated, scalloped, and pear- shaped varieties with flesh that ranges from golden-yellow to brilliant orange. Most winter squashes, including acorn, butternut, and buttercup varieties, are vine plants whose fruits are harvested when fully mature. They take longer to mature than summer squash--3 months or more--and are best harvested once the cool weather of fall sets in. Winter squash can be stored for a month or more in a cool basement--hence the name winter squash.

Hot Dogs: What You Should Know about Them

By Ethel Tiersky

Jun 08, 2018

hot dogDoug Sohn owned a Chicago restaurant named Hot Doug's, a popular spot celebrated for its sausage sandwiches.

What Americans Will Be Eating in 2017

By Ethel Tiersky

Jan 30, 2017

Last night, for the first time, my neighborhood Mexican restaurant served me a side dish of   cauliflower rice (sometimes called riced cauliflower).  No, this dish doesn't contain rice; it's grated or chopped cauliflower that  could pass for rice. It's often mixed with other veggies (peas, corn, or diced carrots) and sometimes perked up with seasonings or lime. Cauliflower rice recipes are rampant on the Internet.

 

New Year’s Resolutions For a Safer Kitchen

By Ethel Tiersky

Jan 10, 2017

Rinsing Food Can’t think of any new year’s resolutions because you’re already just about perfect? Shelf Life Advice to the rescue!  Here are some resolutions to obey and even post in your kitchen.  You may already have these posted in your brain if you’ve been an attentive Shelf Life Advice reader for the past few years.  In that case, post them for others who may be preparing food in your kitchen.  These pieces come from indisputably reliable sources—our Advisory Board scientists, government sites, and other food safety experts who have provided content for Shelf Life Advice.

How Long Will They REALLY last? Part II: Perishables

By Ethel Tiersky

Jan 08, 2017

perishable foodPart II: Perishable Foods

 

Perishable foods--the ones kept in the fridge--are the ones consumers are most afraid of.  They worry that expired perishables might make them sick.  It's an almost wasted worry. In general, refrigeration keeps bacteria from growing to sufficient numbers to cause illness. Moreover, the bacteria scientists call "spoilage bacteria"--the ones that ruin the taste, looks, texture, and/or smell of food--grow faster than those that cause illness, so food usually turns yucky and gets discarded before it becomes a menace. 

How Long Will They REALLY Last? Part I: Non-perishables

By Ethel Tiersky

Jan 04, 2017

shelf stable productsPart I - Shelf-Stable Foods

 

The most popular (most often visited) Q/As on Shelf Life Advice are ones that ask, "How long can I keep it?" The product section of Shelf Life Advice provides answers to these questions about specific foods. This article will give you some general guidelines--provided by scientists on the Shelf Life Advice Advisory Board--on various categories of shelf-stable foods.  (Perishables will be discussed next month.) Along with info about how long foods can last (beyond the "use-by" date) are tips on how to extend shelf life beyond the usual expectations. Some foods, if treated right, will essentially last indefinitely. 

Our 2016 List of Gifts To Please Every Cook

By Ethel Tiersky

Dec 20, 2016

presentsIn the Amana colonies in Iowa, settled by religious German immigrants, the residents built their homes without kitchens because they dined in communal kitchens. The rest of us often cook, eat, and socialize in our kitchens, so a food-related gift item---something edible or some helpful tool for preparing food--is usually welcome.

 

Should Hot Food Go into the Fridge?

By Ethel Tiersky

Dec 05, 2016

Hot FoodCooking for a crowd?  Then chances are, you’re planning to prepare some hot dishes a day or two in advance.  Then, you may ask yourself, can my casserole go right from the oven into the fridge, or is that a bad idea?  This quandary actually poses 3 questions: 

 

1) Will hot food damage my refrigerator?

 

2) Will adding hot food harm my already refrigerated food? 

 

3) Will immediate refrigeration be bad for the hot food?  We asked two members of our Advisory Board, Dr. Timothy Bowser, a food process engineer, and Dr. Karin Allen, a food scientist, to provide the answers.

Tips on Making Food Appealing, Food Safety and BPA (again)

By Ethel Tiersky

Dec 03, 2016

salmon patty with sour creamThe first two Q/As below are about good food but not in the sense of nutrition; they're about good food meaning the person eating it does so with pleasure and enthusiasm. The third and fourth Q/As are about developing a protective sense as to what stores offer that might be a health risk--food possibly contaminated by temperature abuse or store receipts that might get BPA on your hands.

 

 
 

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