Homemade Sausage Making

Hi Sausage Munchers,
Here we are in mid-July again... the time of the year when Pseudomonas wreaks havoc on your potato salad, Phytophora tosses your greens, Aspergillus raises caine with your onions, and brochotrix thermosfacta punches out your strawberries in just a day or two! Here are a few hints for keeping a few common foods just a bit longer.

1. Strawberries spoiled again? Next time, mix 1 part vinegar and 10 parts water in a bowl or pan and swirl the strawberries into the mixture for just a few seconds. Drain, rinse and put them in the fridge. They will last 2 weeks longer. Make sure you keep the mixture diluted so you don't taste the vinegar. (bacteria just hate acid )

2. Store eggs on the middle shelf of the refrigerator to make them last 3-4 weeks longer than their date of expiration.

3. To revive old bread, rub an ice cube on it and then bake it for 12 minutes.

4. Tomatoes last longer when stored at room temperature, not in the fridge.

5. Cheese should be kept in the warmest part of the fridge, such as the vegetable or cheese drawer. Apply a little butter to the cut side of a cheese wedge to make sure it doesn't dry out.

6. Store potatoes with a few apples, this will stop them from sprouting.

7. If you keep milk in the fridge door, it will go bad sooner than if you had put it in the middle of the fridge.

8. Wrap lettuce in tin foil to keep it fresh and crisp for much longer.

9. Rinse strawberries in a mixture of 1 part vinegar and 10 parts water. Drain, rinse and put in the fridge for strawberries that will last for 2 weeks longer. Make sure you keep the mixture diluted so you don't taste the vinegar.

10. Keep older foods in the front of the fridge so you don't miss out on their expiration date.

11. Carefully wrap the crown of a batch of bananas with cling film to block the air and extend their shelf life for 3-5 days more.

12. Onions last 8 months longer when stored in "links" inside old nylon hosiery. (Clean of course! ).

If your fridge smells - clean it! Now! It means that something is rotting and if it stays there, bacteria will quickly spread to your new food. If the smell is noxious and curls your mustache, use a disinfectant.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

While we're on the subject,
---What's the latest advice on storing cole slaw, potato salad, and other items containing mayonnaise during summer months?
---Is an ice chest sufficient protection for picnic supplies? How cold should it be?
"Inquiring minds want to know"

Hey Duckster,
That is a terrific question. But don't blame the mayo! Everybody loves eating good food at a picnic... especially the potato salad and cole slaw eh? Unfortunately, so do most bacteria and if a container of potato salad is sitting out in the sunshine, you can bet that pathogenic bacteria is multiplying inside! Potato salad is notorious for going bad and most everyone blames the mayonnaise. (It is made with raw eggs, remember?). Stop pointing fingers! Commercial mayo is made with eggs which have been pasteurized. They are almost pathogen-free! Mayonnaise is also made with vinegar and lemon juice, which creates an environment that is too acidic for bacterial growth. Believe it or not, mayonnaise doesn`t need to be refrigerated at all because it`s so acidic. So why then, do we refrigerate it? It helps maintain its flavor and consistency.

So then, what causes so much foodborne illness in potato salad? The potatoes! Yup, the potatoes are the culprit. Quite simply, If they are left in the "temperature danger zone" - (between 40° and 140° Fahrenheit) too long, baked potatoes can cultivate enough bacteria to cause illness. Potato salad should never be left out at room temperature for longer than two hours - long enough for pathogenic and spoilage bacteria in food to multiply to dangerous levels. And when the temperature is above 90° Fahrenheit, the FSIS recommends cutting those two hours down to just one! Otherwise, you are inviting real trouble.

Yes, always play it safe by bringing a cooler to refrigerate your potato salad. You certainly don't want to be responsible for making someone else sick? Prepare it safely with clean hands and equipment, then store it safely under refrigeration or in a cooler.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Dang! ...all those years wasted eating "Miracle Whip"!

I think that bacteria growth rates and the temperature increases are exponential. Is this correct?

ssorllih wrote:I think that bacteria growth rates and the temperature increases are exponential. Is this correct?

True. There's a death rate which is also exponential. It's the ratio of the two exponents that matters, as far as rates are concerned.

By adding nitrite, we inhibit growth rate, countering the effect of the exponent.

What may be more important, though, is not necessarily the rate, but instead, the elapsed time. The problem is that bacterial growth generates toxins, but bacterial death doesn't destroy them. Toxins accumulate. In other words, given enough time, the food will go bad.

So the best of worlds is to keep the rate low by keeping the food cool, and keep the accumulation low by consuming it promptly. I try to do my part by raiding the deviled eggs, potato salad, etc, as early as I can. What better way...?

Dividing the salads into a serving portion and a kept cold resupply portion is also very practical.

Great hints, I can't wait to try #1 and #9.