Don't touch it after New Year's Eve: why you can't finish your olivier for a week
Russians in stores and restaurants are very picky about the choice of food and dishes, carefully checking expiration dates. And when it comes to home-cooked food, they allow themselves to stray from the safety rules. Doctors strongly advise housewives not to prepare New Year's Eve dishes in large quantities, so that they do not have to finish stale food during the vacations. How much to keep herring under a fur coat and salad Olivier and how to increase the shelf life of delicacies without harm to health - in the material "Izvestia".
Shelf life
Gastroenterologist Anastasia Timoshchenko does not recommend finishing holiday dishes, stretching them for a week. Such a long storage of cooked food even in the refrigerator does not exclude the possibility of their rapid spoilage, which can threaten an increased risk of food poisoning. And it is better to cook a treat shortly before the celebration.
- You can prepare the ingredients in advance, for example, boil potatoes and eggs. But it is desirable to cut and mix them directly on the day of consumption, - says Anastasia Timoshchenko.
Gastroenterologist-dietologist Elvira Belyova advises to check your views when cooking holiday dishes with hygienic requirements for shelf life and storage conditions of food products, which can be found in the prescriptions of SanPiN. The expiration dates of various dishes do not coincide with the views of bakery Russians who prefer to cook holiday dishes in large quantities.
- Consumption of food after the expiration date can lead to food poisoning, especially in immunocompromised people, children and the elderly," warns Elvira Belyova.
Ludmila Mikityuk, a dietician, emphasizes that food stored in improper conditions for longer than two days can provoke consequences in the form of food poisoning. If the expired food is supplemented with the intake of alcohol, it increases, in particular, the load on the liver.
How long to store
According to Lyudmila Mikityuk, dressed with mayonnaise salad Olivier can be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of 2-4 ° C no longer than a day. Usually on the festive table delicacies are served two hours before midnight, when it is supposed to see off the old year. At room temperature, ready-made olivier without harm to health can be no longer than five hours. This means that the morning it is already unusable, not to mention the prospect of several days. Such a dish should not be finished.
- It is recommended to dress the salad with mayonnaise immediately before serving, and keep the unseasoned dish in the refrigerator for the time being. Under these conditions and in this form, the shelf life is extended to two days," says Mikityuk.
Elvira Belyova notes that cut but not dressed raw vegetables and fruits are stored for 18 hours. And if mayonnaise or sauces are added to them, the shelf life of such dishes is reduced by six hours. Lyudmila Mikityuk does not recommend washing fruits and berries in advance for serving, as they also begin to spoil faster. Accordingly, it is better to assemble the fruit plate immediately before the celebration.
- Cut fresh vegetables quickly enough give juice, lose their flavor and useful properties, so it is desirable to prepare them directly to the festive table, - adds Timoschenko.
Gastroenterologist-dietologist Belyova draws attention to the fact that herring under a fur coat should be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of 2-4 degrees, as it is a perishable product. Such a dish can not be prepared in advance, because it includes mayonnaise, eggs and fish. These ingredients make the appetizer potentially dangerous, if you do not take into account the expiration date.
- Even without dressing, fish salads can be stored for only 12 hours, and if mayonnaise, eggs and canned vegetables are added, the shelf life is halved," warns Elvira Belyova.
It is six hours to eat the popular "fur coat". Consequently, you should prepare it shortly before the New Year's celebration and not expose yourself to the risk, finishing the treat within a few days.
- Crab salad, like many salads, is stored no more than 18 hours without dressing and 12 hours with dressing. But only if canned corn is added to the dish before serving. Crab sticks themselves are stored for 48 hours, - continues Elvira Belyova.
When not nasty bay fish
Favorite dishes of the New Year's table are cold and bay. Lyudmila Mikityuk recommends to keep the bay in the refrigerator no longer than two days. You can not freeze such a product - the fish will become loose and tasteless. Kholodets can be kept in the refrigerator for four or five days. According to the expert, if this dish turned out to be fatty, the shelf life increases to a week.
Hot dishes also require special treatment. Anastasia Timoshchenko notes that they can be stored up to two or three days in the refrigerator, but at the same time significantly lose their flavor. It is desirable to serve such dishes freshly prepared.
For example, baked duck when properly stored in the refrigerator remains suitable for consumption for 48 hours. However, according to Lyudmila Mikityuk, the dish does not tolerate repeated heating.
- Chicken and goose are stored in cold conditions for two to three days. Boiled or baked chicken can be used for salads. Cooked poultry should be stored on the middle shelf of the refrigerator," explains Mikityuk.
On the holiday table in 2024 it is recommended to put lamb. This meat in roasted and baked form can be stored up to two days. But boiled or stewed should be eaten within a day.
As for the side dish, Lyudmila Mikityuk recommends storing boiled potatoes in the refrigerator for up to three days. By the way, in frozen form it can "last" up to a year. Baked vegetables are better to eat within two days, and boiled rice can be enjoyed for three days. But this is provided that the products are stored in the refrigerator.
For desserts, there are also their own rules.
- Confectionery, in particular cakes with butter or custard, are also stored for a short time, literally up to 72 hours. Therefore, it is better to prepare or buy sweet treats just before the holiday and make sure that they do not linger in the refrigerator, - says Anastasia Timoshchenko.
Lyudmila Mikityuk believes that the cake "Red Velvet", popular with hostesses, can be stored for five days. And if the guests do not cope with the dessert, it can be frozen and kept in the freezer for up to five months. Cake "Napoleon" should be eaten after five hours, if it decorates the table at room temperature.
Whether it is necessary to take ready-made food
Meanwhile, young people treat the New Year frenzy differently than the older generation, preferring restaurant food. In addition, cautious young people are picky about the quality of food and do not risk eating something that has been in the refrigerator for several days.
- There is a trend toward a more conscious approach to nutrition by young people, including fitness enthusiasts and runners. There is increasing awareness of the importance of fresh and good quality food, as well as the dangers of overeating and eating stale food. This may indicate a shift in emphasis from quantity to quality of nutrition," comments Elvira Belyova
According to a nutritionist and gastroenterologist, the need to move away from the "grandmother's theory" of eating expired food comes with the realization of the toxicity of stale food and bacterial risks.
All the more so because the fast pace of life and the reluctance to spend a pre-holiday day cooking a variety of dishes forces Russians to order ready-made food. However, there are also risks involved.
- Ready-to-eat holiday dishes have made waiting for the New Year much easier, but their consumption can also mar the holiday if they are not fresh enough or if the technology of storage or transportation is violated. In the case of choosing ready-made food in a store, it is worth paying attention to the appearance, odor and date of manufacture and expiration date, - comments Anastasia Timoshchenko.
If there are doubts about the quality of the food on offer, the expert advises ordering food from trusted restaurants and cafes.
- The main advantage of ready-to-eat food is that you do not need to spend a lot of time choosing and buying products, thinking about the menu and cooking the dishes themselves. But all these advantages can easily turn into disadvantages if you are not sure about the institution and do not know what products are included in the composition, how fresh and high quality they are, - comments Lyudmila Mikityuk.
One unusable component can spoil not only the taste, but also create digestive problems.
