NEWSWORTHY NOTES  Gayle Gette, Extension/FNP Agent
For release February 6, 2004 Towner County    

Chill Facts
Did you know that at room temperature, harmful bacteria in food can double every 20 minutes? Because of this rapid growth, we all should avoid keeping food in the Danger Zone�the unsafe temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees F. Students in Rita P�s Bio-Chemistry class learned this information and several additional tips for keeping cold foods properly cold from a lesson presented by Gayle Gette, Extension/FNP Agent, Monday February 2. The lesson was followed by a bingo game using food safety clues and terms, and winners were awarded food storage containers to use when storing foods in the refrigerator. Some helpful tips the students learned were:

* Make sure the temperature in the refrigerator is 40 degrees F or below, and 0 degrees F or below in the freezer.

* Don�t overfill the refrigerator. Cool air must circulate to help keep food safe.

* Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food, and leftovers within 2 hours of purchase or preparation, or within 1 hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees F.

* Thaw food in the refrigerator. For quick thawing, submerge in cold water in airtight packaging or thaw in the microwave, and cook the food immediately.

* Divide large quantities of leftovers into shallow containers for quicker cooling in the refrigerator.

* Marinate food in the refrigerator.

* When transporting food, place cold food in a cooler with a cold source such as ice or commercial freezing gels. Keep the cooler in the coolest part of your car, rather than in a hot trunk.

Students each received a refrigerator/freezer thermometer to use when checking the temperature of these appliances at home. The thermometers were provided by the NDSU Extension Service, Food and Nutrition Department. Students participating in this class were Mindee E, Amanda H, Mindy K, Christina M, Travis P, and Kim K.