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By Root 660 0

surface moisture and that turns them to goo. Of course if the misting system is dirty, then it can become contaminated with pathogenic organisms. That means that every time it goes off, your prospective dinner gets a germ bath. Want to scare the produce manager the way you did the meat folks? Take a water sample from the mister. Tell him or her you’re sending it to the lab for analysis. If he or she says “fine,” don’t bother sending it. If he or she develops a sudden facial tic find another market. Remember, it’s your food.

Transportation If you’re planning to buy perishables, bring a cooler to the market with at least one if not two cold packs inside. It just doesn’t make sense to take food that’s been properly stored, walk it around a nice warm market and then out to a car trunk you could bake biscuits in. If your cooler is too big for your cart then at least have it standing by in the trunk for the ride home. Your frozen goods will stay that way, your veggies won’t wilt, and your meats will stay safely out of the Zone. You too will enjoy the freedom to go to the video rental place on the way home without having to calculate the Listeria growth rate in your fresh fish.

BRINGING MEAT TO ROOM TEMPERATURE

I like to rest meat out of the refrigerator for a half hour before cooking so that there will be less difference between the temperature of the meat and the temperature of the oven. But if there are any doubts about how well the meat was handled prior to purchase, there is a small chance that the inside of the meat could be contaminated with pathogens that would only be killed were the meat to be cooked to a very high temperature.

For instance, you buy your T-bone steak off the back of a truck because the price is good. The guy who cuts the steak used the same knife to cut up a chicken. If he cut the steak correctly this would technically not be too much of a worry as long as the entire steak surface came into contact with very high heat—as in grilling.

But suppose he was not only a dirty cutter, but a sloppy one and he poked his knife through the steak. Now the inside of the meat is contaminated as well. And if you like your steak cooked medium rare, those bugs won’t be killed.

And by pulling that meat out and placing it on the counter (and in the Zone) for a half hour, you create an environment in which those few microscopic nasties could grow into quite a powerful army.

But if you buy your meat from reputable sources—and practice safe handling at home—I feel that the danger is amazingly and perhaps incalculably low. To a healthy adult I’d say “go for it,” but then I’d also say “eat steak tartare.”

At Home

Once the groceries are home, three major issues face the cook: temperature abuse, cross contamination, and contamination by the human animal.

Temperature control

Foods whose temperature fall in the 40° to 140° F Zone are vulnerable to bacterial colonization, so proper refrigeration is key. Most folks have no idea what temperature their refrigerator maintains, but you don’t have this problem because you read the section on thermometers. Of course, the Zone gets abused on the other end as well. Take that big pot of beef stew you just finished simmering.

HOW LONG IS TOO LONG TO KEEP CANNED FOODS?

Canned foods should be stored in a cool, dry place. Never put them above the stove, under the sink, in a damp garage or basement, or any place exposed to very high or very low temperatures. Foods high in acid, such as tomatoes and other fruit, can be safely kept for up to 18 months; low-acid foods such as meat and vegetables are okay for 2 to 5 years. Canned meat and poultry will keep best for 2 to 5 years if the can remains in good condition and has been stored in a cool, clean, dry place.

While extremely rare, a toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is the worst danger in the realm of canned goods. Never use food from containers that show possible botulism warnings including: leaking, bulging, or denting; cracked jars or jars with loose or bulging lids; canned food with a foul odor;