There are general categories of food that deserve extra care in their storage. If you’re looking for the most likely culprits, “Think of those high-protein foods that pathogens love, like meat, fish, milk, cheese and eggs,” said Matt Taylor, senior manager of food consulting at the NSF, a nonprofit organization that develops and certifies standards for food safety and sanitation. His view was echoed by consulting food scientist Bryan Quoc Le, who pointed to other high-protein culprits like Mexican soft cheese, smoked fish and unpasteurized milk.
Another concern is what’s called “ready to eat” meat or poultry, which includes deli meats sliced at the counter, said University of Connecticut associate professor Dennis D’Amico, whose expertise includes food microbiology and safety. He also said that pathogens can contaminate fresh produce, including mushrooms, leafy green prepackaged salads and sprouts. “Most fresh produce should be washed and scrubbed with a produce brush at home,” he said. “Just remember to clean and sanitize the scrubbing brush.”
Another possible danger comes in cooked rice, which Atkinson explained: “Before it’s even cooked, rice can contain spores of a bacteria known as Bacillus cereus,” he said. “This bacteria can still pose a threat after rice has been cooked, and the risk of becoming ill from eating it is much higher if cooked rice isn’t handled the right way.” He warned that rice should never sit out on a countertop at room temperature. “Refrigerate rice as soon as it’s cooled down, and eat it within 24 hours. One misconception might be that rice that’s unsafe to eat will show visible signs of being off, such as being moldy or having an unusual smell. But this might not always be the case.”
And, he said, you need to be just as cautious with takeout rice, which might have even more potential to do harm. “Additives and spices in fast-food rice might mask signs that it needs discarding, and there’s no way of knowing how long it was stored before being cooked to order,” he said. “For this reason, you should probably avoid putting it in your refrigerator altogether and toss it out when the meal is over.”
