Space Lékué > Tips
Tips
The nutritional and hygienic characteristics
of each food group:
how to know if meat or fish is fresh,
how to clean fruits and vegetables…
To correctly choose fresh foods, it’s importance to know how to identify the characteristics that indicate if the product is fresh. At home, learn how to correctly store food products until ready to be used in order to guarantee their quality. Following are some tips according to food group, including nutritional information:
STARCH
Rich in complex carbohydrates and vitamins from the B group. High potassium content, especially potatoes and beans. Whole grains have more vitamins and minerals than refined grains.
These foods have a long shelf life because of their low water content. Beans (tinned or dried), flours, pasta and rice, stored in a dry place, have a long shelf life. However, cooked pasta or an open can of beans must be conserved in the refrigerator, in an airtight container for a maximum of two or three days.
Bread can be frozen or you can purchase crackers or breadsticks that have a longer shelf life.
In the case of tuber vegetables, it’s best to store them in a dry place, although they last longer if stored in the refrigerator.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Fruits and vegetables are high in water content, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Unlike vegetables, fruits contain more simple sugars.
As far as hygienic conditions are concerned, various aspects should be considered:
- It’s best to store these foods in the refrigerator until they are going to be used and consumed, especially if room temperatures are high.
- Vegetables and fruits that are to be eaten raw should be washed beforehand, except those that are already prepared for consumption.
- Buy fruits and vegetables that are not fully ripe and are not bruised or damaged. They should look fresh.
- When a fruit is mouldy, it should be thrown away as soon as possible because it can ruin the fruit around it. The same happens with onions and tomatoes.
- Natural fruit juices should be prepared directly before drinking because they conserve their nutritional properties better, including vitamin C.
DAIRY PRODUCTS
These products are rich in calcium, proteins and fats, except fat free dairy products. Custards, flans, puddings also have high sugar content.
In general, these products are stored in the refrigerator. In the case of milk, if it is pasteurised or sterilised, which is usually the case, it should stored in the refrigerator once opened.
PROTEINS
This food group includes meat, fish and eggs. These are protein-rich foods. In addition, the quantity and quality of their fat content should also be highlighted. Oily fish, such as sardines, tuna, anchovies... contain omega 3, an unsaturated fat that is necessary for organisms. Meat, especially sausages, chorizo, pre-packaged hamburgers... are high in saturated fats, which are unhealthy.
Concerning the freshness of meat, you should look at the colour, consistency, the shine of the cut, the smell... For fish, you should look at the firmness of the meat, in other words, when touched, the skin should not remain indented, the scales should be well adhered to the skin, the eyes should be shiny not sunken, the gills should be red and, above all, there should not be any unpleasant odors. In the case of frozen fish, if the meat looks yellowish or there are ice crystals inside the package, this is indicative of inappropriate conservation.
These products can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. In the refrigerator, fish can last from 24 to 48 hours, while meats one or two days, except minced meat, which should be used the same day it was minced. Fish decomposes more quickly than meat, that is why it is important to remove the viscera as soon as possible. Both fish and meat can be stored in the freezer for approximately 18 months.
In the case of eggs, it’s important to store them at a constant temperature, ideally in the refrigerator. In addition, eggs should not be washed because the shell is porous and as a consequence, the egg could become contaminated.
OILS AND OTHER FATS
This group includes vegetable oils, like olive or sunflower seed oil, butter, cream, lard... Most vegetable oils are healthy choices, except palm or coconut oil, widely used in the industrial bakery sector. These last oils, as well as cream and butter... are unhealthy fats and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
At room temperature, oils remain in a liquid state. However, it should be taken into account that it’s normal for oil to solidify in cold weather, but this does not alter its qualities or characteristics. When the temperature is increased, the oil returns to its normal liquid state.
Different types of oils should never be mixed. Mixing them accelerates their decomposition, forming toxic substances. New and used oil should not be mixed.
In general, different foods should be not fried in the same oil. In addition, the oil should be filtered before it is used again. It should never be used more than three or four times.
Olive oil with 0.4% acidity is best for frying because it withstands high temperatures more than other vegetables oils like sunflower seed or corn oils, which oxidise quickly. When the oil releases too much smoke or has an unpleasant odor, is spicy or rancid, and the colour and fluidity have changed, it should be completed renewed.
Used oils should be stored in stainless steel or enamel containers and correctly covered to prevent oxidation.
