Shutterstock©Every year the average family throws away £730 worth of wasted food, according to waste charity WRAP.
It’s not done on purpose — often it’s because we’re not sure whether something lurking at the back of the fridge is still safe to eat.
No-one wants to become ill for the sake of a piece of dodgy chicken!
With more people cooking at home during lockdown, the Food Standards Agency want to help people make the most of the contents of their cupboards and fridges in a safe way.
To help us all avoid throwing away good food unnecessarily, they’ve shared some of the most frequent queries they receive, and also answered some extra questions from us.
When eggs float, are they bad?
Don’t use the egg float test to determine safety. Eggs are safe to eat for a couple of days after the best before date, as long as you cook them thoroughly.
Is food safe if the can has a dent in it?
If the dent on the can is shallow and there are no other obvious signs that the can is damaged (such as the can expanding or leaking) your food should remain fit to eat.
How long can you safely eat rice after cooking?
Keep rice in the fridge for no more than one day. When you reheat rice, always check the dish is steaming hot all the way through.
Can you eat potatoes when they start to sprout?
Remove any sprouts on potatoes before using them and remember to cut off any green or rotten bits.
Can you eat brown bananas?
You can eat fruit or vegetables that are a bit overripe (such as wrinkly carrots, brown bananas and slightly mushy strawberries) as normal, providing they are not mouldy.
Alternatively, you can use them in cooking, baking or smoothies.
Can you reheat meat more than once?
You should only reheat previously cooked and frozen meat once. However, you can safely cook defrosted raw meat into a new meal and freeze it.
For example, you can use your frozen chicken in a curry, and then freeze this to reheat and eat another day.
Now that we’ve solved these food safety questions, why not get some recipe inspiration from our Cookery pages.
Iain McDonald I am the Digital Content Editor at the “Friend”, making me responsible for managing the flow of interesting and entertaining content on the magazine’s website and social media channels.
