Aluminum foil paper is a must-have item in every home kitchen, but experts warn that you never use it to wrap leftovers. According to Daily Mail, food scientist Zachary Cartwright, a Chicago AQUA experiment room food scientist, said food wrapped in...
Aluminum foil paper is a must-have item in every home kitchen, but experts warn that you never use it to wrap leftovers. According to Daily Mail, food scientist Zachary Cartwright, a Chicago AQUA experiment room food scientist, said food wrapped in aluminium foil paper is at risk of being infected with dangerous bacteria.
Unlike more safe options such as sealed containers and plastic slatted bags, aluminum foil paper cannot form a vacuum seal. Under air-impermeability, oxygen in the air will be blocked from contacting food, and most dangerous pathogens require oxygen to grow.
Cartret pointed out that aluminum foil paper cannot achieve a completely closed effect because it has no adhesion and cannot fully adhere to the surface. Eating leftovers wrapped in aluminum foil paper may cause serious food poisoning and may even be fatal.
Aluminum foil paper replaced si foil paper decades ago because it is cheaper and durable and works well for baking fish or packaging sandwiches. But Carterlett said that aluminium foil paper is not suitable for packaging leftovers, although many people have this habit.
A safer option is to use a sealed container, sealable zipper bag, and even a fresh membrane, as these can close the seal and help prevent microbial growth.
Primrose Freestone, a clinical microbiology lecturer at Lester University, also emphasized the importance of using sealed containers for leftover food. She said that if leftover food is not stored correctly and reheated correctly, there will be risks of food poisoning; the refrigeration temperature in a refrigerator is between 37° F to 40° F (about 2° C to 4° C) is not enough to prevent all dangerous microorganisms from growing, so cold is a better choice.
More importantly, according to Carterlett, the ginger may react with acidic and scattered into the remaining foods, such as the savory tomato sauce. Long-term aerobic intake can cause neurotoxic development disorders and damage kidney, liver and bones.
Therefore, it is best to use sealable glass or plastic containers to pack leftovers, Foreste said, which helps save money and reduce food waste.
The method to correctly store leftover food also includes tagging on the container and date it will be possible to accurately record which foods need to be eaten quickly; leftovers must be eaten within two days, and if any suspicious signs are found, such as strange or deteriorating, they should be discarded.
Freston suggests that if you are not sure you can finish it within two days, put them in a cold pot, which will be more flexible than if you keep it in refrigeration.
Responsible editor: Gu Zihuan
