During the Spring Festival, there are too many leftovers, so be careful when leaving them overnight!

During the Spring Festival, every household will prepare a sumptuous meal to welcome the New Year and the arrival of guests. But often in the end, there will be a lot of food left over. It would be a waste to throw away these leftovers directly, otherwise you will have to eat leftover food every day. And with the arrival of new guests, the leftover food seems to have entered a vicious circle.

Image source: Baidu Library

How long does it take to be considered overnight food?

Many people actually have a wrong perception: they think that only dishes that have been left overnight are considered overnight dishes. In fact, this is not true. Generally speaking, dishes that have been left for more than 8 hours are considered overnight dishes.

What harm may overnight food cause?

1. Increased nitrite content

After the leftovers are left for a period of time, the nitrite content in the food will increase, and after a series of metabolism in the body, carcinogens may be produced. However, it is unscientific to talk about toxicity without considering the dosage! If leftovers are properly stored in the refrigerator, eating them occasionally is not a big problem. Only long-term and large-scale consumption of leftovers may cause cancer.

2. Loss of nutrients

As leftovers are left for a while, they will gradually be oxidized and the nutrients in them will slowly be decomposed. When they are eaten again, they will only fill your stomach but have little nutritional value.

3. Breeding of bacteria

If food is left at room temperature for more than two hours after cooking, bacteria will multiply. Fish and meat, which are rich in protein, are particularly prone to breeding bacteria. Long-term storage will lead to a large number of bacteria and food will deteriorate. This is why eating overnight food sometimes causes vomiting and diarrhea.

Image source: Baidu Library

Which common overnight dishes are not recommended to be eaten?

1. Green leafy vegetables

Compared with other vegetables, green leafy vegetables produce higher levels of nitrite during storage. When heated again, not only is the taste easy to change, but there is also a high possibility of spoilage.

2. Fungi

Fungi are a very popular food, not only delicious but also nutritious. However, if these dishes are left overnight, they will produce a lot of bacteria and toxins, which may cause great harm to health if consumed. If they are spoiled, they may cause gastrointestinal discomfort.

3. Seafood

Seafood can easily carry various bacteria. If it is not cooked while fresh and eaten in time, it can easily cause bacteria to multiply in large numbers, which is harmful to the body.

So how do you properly handle overnight food?

① Cooked food must not be stored at room temperature for more than 2 hours and must be refrigerated in time.

② When storing leftovers, they must first be sealed in plastic bags, plastic wrap, or storage boxes, and different leftovers must be stored separately to avoid cross-contamination of bacteria.

③Heat thoroughly before eating. High temperature can effectively kill harmful microorganisms.

④Leftovers should not be heated more than once.

In life, if leftovers are unavoidable, we should pay attention to scientific storage. If we ensure that the food is not contaminated by bacteria during storage, some of it can still be reheated and eaten.

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