Tesi Johnson, Gleaner Writer

A bit of your sweet potato salad, rice and gungo peas, and glutten roast with sorrel sauce might be left over after the Christmas feast. Store your leftovers properly so that they might be fit for consumption at some later date. - Contributed

Leftovers are almost part of the Christmas tradition, as many look forward to enjoying the remaining ham, rice and gungo peas, roast beef and the like, for days to come following Christmas Day.

Rechauffe Cooking

Réchauffé cooking, or 're-heating' leftovers is a convenient and relatively cheap alternative to preparing a meal from scratch, however, improper handling or storage of leftover foods are a leading cause of food poisoning in the home, according to the Food Hygiene Bureau.

The bureau notes that an increase of food poisoning incidents after Christmas results from consuming leftovers, "which are dangerous if they are not stored and used correctly". When food is kept too long or not properly stored, bacteria will multiply and toxins can be formed, causing food poisoning on consumption.

Safe leftovers

There are time limits on how long leftovers should be kept and guidelines for proper storage in order to keep them suitable for consumption.

Safe leftovers have to start with food that is safe.

In preparation, ensure that you wash your hands and the cooking surfaces regularly and thoroughly, and cook food to proper temperatures.

Refrigerate foods quickly because cold temperatures prevent most harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying rapidly. The Food Hygiene Bureau recommends that cooked meats like ham, chicken and roast beef, "should be portioned and cooled quickly in ice to 4° Celcius then transferred to the refrigerator where the temperature should be maintained until you are ready to serve".

With poultry and other stuffed meats, remove the stuffing and refrigerate it in a separate container.

Side dishes like rice and peas potato salad, "should be stored cool or hot until ready for service. If served hot, then within four hours after display and maintained above 62° Celsius. If served cold, then they should be stored at 4-5° Celsius for four hours and then removed and either discarded or replaced".

Divide large amounts of leftovers, such as a large piece of roast beef into smaller pieces and store in shallow containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator. Otherwise, the centre will remain warm enough longer to allow bacteria to develop.

As a rule, never keep leftovers in the refrigerator for more than five days. The chance of food poisoning increases the longer you store it after it was cooked. It's a good idea to date your leftovers, so that you can use them up within a safe time.

Leftovers should be reheated only once! Reheat thoroughly to 165° F or until hot and steaming. Soups and gravies should be brought to a roiling boil.

Never taste-test anything that you suspect to be spoilt. Just a little bacteria is enough to make you very ill.

You may NOT remove the mouldy portion of an item and consume the remaining part. The mould you see is only the exposed 'branches' of the bacteria, the proverbial tip of the iceberg. The rest is already embedded in the food, even though you cannot see it with the naked eye.

Ham Chop Suey

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking/Baking Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tbs. soya sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb. (450 grams) ham, baked and cut into thin strips (Left-over roast beef or poultry can be substituted for ham.)

4 tbs. vegetable oil

2 stalks celery, cut into diagonal strips

2 medium carrots, cut into strips

1 small sweet pepper, cut into strips

4 heads pak choi, coarsely chopped

1/2 lb. (225 grams) bean sprouts

1 lb. (540 grams) cabbage, coarsely shredded

1/2 cup onion or escallion, chopped

2 tsp. cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Method

1. Mix together black pepper, soya sauce and garlic, add ham.

2. Heat two tablespoons oil in frying pan, sautée celery and carrots for three-five minutes.

3. Add sweet pepper, pak choi, bean sprouts and cabbage. Toss well to combine.

4. Remove vegetables from frying pan, add remaining oil . Sauté onion or scallion until transparent. Add ham mixture and vegetables, allow to heat through for two minutes.

5. Dissolve cornstarch in water and pour over ingredients, allow to heat through for a further two minutes, tossing constantly.

Serve immediately over hot rice or noodles.

- Recipe courtesy of www.gracefoods.com