Latest news with #Deering
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
How to extend the life of almost any grocery item, according to food safety experts
With new tariffs in effect and likely more on the horizon, it's only natural to think about how to save money as prices increase. One way? Extending the life of our groceries to cut costs, not to mention waste. After all, how many of us have tossed expired jars of mayo or fuzz-coated jam (ew) we discovered in the back of the fridge? Even as someone who used to bake for a living, I'm guilty of committing some of these crimes over the years — but I've also picked up some tricks for keeping food edible, longer. In the interest of creating a more comprehensive food-storage guide, I sought the input of two food safety experts: Dr. Amanda Deering, Associate Professor of Fresh Produce Food Safety at Purdue University's Department of Food Science, and Dr. Ellen Shumaker, Director of Outreach for the Safe Plates program at NC State University. Related: How long can your pasta salad stay out? Here's what food safety experts say Because different foods spoil at different rates, I asked them which types we should be most cautious about. "Any foods that require refrigeration will be the ones that spoil more quickly than others," says Deering. "Foods that spoil quickly are milk, raw meat and poultry and cut produce," echoes Shumaker. "These foods all provide high amounts of nutrients for spoilage organisms, have a high amount of available water for these organisms to thrive and are a more neutral pH. (Microorganisms don't grow very well in more acidic or more basic environments.)" So while the bag of pretzels in your cupboard can certainly go stale over time, chilled foods have the shortest lifespans. "Spoilage primarily happens due to the growth of microorganisms that produce off flavors, smells or changes to the texture," says Shumaker. "The growth of these microorganisms depends on a few factors, including various properties of a food product and the time/temperature that the food is kept at." With that in mind, here are some methods to help preserve refrigerated, frozen and pantry items (as well as your hard-earned cash). "An important part of the temperature conversation is that it is really a time/temperature relationship," says Shumaker. "Even at or below 41°F, spoilage bacteria and some types of bacteria that can cause illness, like Listeria, can still grow (just more slowly). For that reason, I recommend keeping leftover prepared foods (like cooked vegetables, cooked meat dishes, cooked pasta or casseroles) for no longer than seven days for food safety." "Fresh produce has a pretty short shelf life," says Deering. "Berries are especially susceptible to spoilage. It's important to not wash the berries until right before you are going to eat them. Adding water allows the spoilage microorganisms to grow and will accelerate spoilage. I would get berries as cool as possible, as quickly as possible, and then wash right before you eat them. Some things, like tomatoes, people say not to store in the fridge because it changes the texture, and that could be true. However, if you want to reduce spoilage, it is still good to get them into the refrigerator." "I recommend using a 'First In, First Out' approach in your kitchen," says Shumaker. "Move older foods to the front of your fridge and pantry to make sure you're using the oldest food first while it is still fresh and ultimately avoid wasting it. It's also helpful to keep track of what you already have before buying new foods to make sure you're consuming food within its shelf life." Isn't it annoying that most recipes only call for a few tablespoons of chopped herbs, but you can only purchase them in large bunches? Rather than letting them wilt away, you can keep them fresh for weeks if stored properly. Just the thought of accidentally sipping sour milk is enough to make my stomach churn; unfortunately, dairy products are among the foods that go rancid the quickest. The good news? Milk can be frozen, and this is my little trick for portioning it out. "It's important to maintain a refrigerator temperature at 41°F or below to maximize the shelf life of your food — the lower temperature slows the growth of these spoilage microorganisms," says Shumaker. "This will also help slow the growth of potentially harmful bacteria that can cause foodborne illness, which are different from spoilage microorganisms. If your fridge is kept above 41°, foods may spoil more quickly. You can confirm the temperature of your fridge by using a fridge thermometer." What would we do without shelf-stable foods? They're lifesavers when your fridge goes kaput, and you generally don't have to babysit them to ensure they don't go bad. That said, even if they can last a while from a safety perspective, taste and texture can be compromised over time. (Note: Canned goods can stay good for years as long as the can is in good shape.) Psst: Did you know flour mites are a thing? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, yes, these teeny-tiny pests exist. They can be found in just about any type of dried pantry staple like flour, oats, grains and spices, but transferring these foods from their original packaging to airtight containers can help prevent mites. (If they do show up, they are difficult to get rid of unless you toss out all of your dry ingredients — not fun or cost-effective!) Want your food to last a really long time? "Keeping foods as cool as possible, as quickly as possible, is the best," says Deering. Shumaker adds, "You can consider freezing foods to extend the shelf life." According to the USDA, "Food stored constantly at 0°F will always be safe. Only the quality suffers with lengthy freezer storage." This means that, technically, the ground beef in your freezer could be safe to eat for years as long as the appliance keeps functioning as it should — but you'll want to take steps to prevent freezer burn so it retains its flavor and texture. If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.) Our health content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional medical advice. Consult a medical professional on questions about your health.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Portland schools adopt 2025-26 calendar with Yom Kippur and Eid al-Fitr
Apr. 8—Yom Kippur and Eid al-Fitr will be included in Portland's school calendar next year following a unanimous vote by the school board Tuesday night. The district administration proposed adding the Jewish and Muslim holidays as a recognition of the district's growing religious diversity, an idea that originally came from students. All of the religious holidays in the district's current calendar come from the Christian faith. The board heard strong support for the inclusion of Eid from students, school employees, parents and community members, who said Muslim students currently miss out on school because the holiday is not recognized. Safa Mohamed, a Deering High School sophomore representing the Deering Muslim Student Association, thanked the district for taking up the new calendar. "Eid on the calendar means more than a day to us," she said. "It means recognition in our respective schools. It means recognition in the district." Fellow Deering student Khalid Mahamed, who serves as the school's student body president, testified about the challenges of missing school for Eid. "I have been set behind on days, missing hours of sleep, and from time to time when I can't make up those days of school hours, I do get set behind, and that does affect my GPA," he said. Portland City Council Member Pious Ali, a former member of the school board, also spoke in support of the calendar. "No child should have to pick between their religious holidays and their education," Ali testified. "Recognizing these holidays ensures that all students feel valued, included and supported in their learning environment." Deering High School teacher Tyler Jellison said he is never able to teach new material on Eid because so many students miss school. "Overall, it feels like a wasted educational day for all students in Portland public schools," Jellison said. "Additionally, my understanding is that my Muslim colleagues are asked to take a personal day. We are given two personal days a year, so they have one less than myself." Portland Public Schools doesn't keep data on student religion, but the Muslim population in the greater Portland area has grown dramatically over the past decade. Portland isn't the first district in Maine to make this change: Lewiston Public Schools added Eid to its calendar in 2021. Each added holiday will cost the district an additional $65,000, because they would add a paid holiday for hourly staff like ed techs. The district is required to maintain at least 175 in-school days for students and at least 180 days for teachers. In response to questions about how the district will handle scheduling of the holidays, which are not on set dates each year, Director of Strategy Sarah Warren said the district will plan for them similarly to snow days. "We have the projected date, but if something changes at the last minute, we have the flexibility to move it," Warren said. Tuesday's vote isn't a policy change — the school board will have to vote on a calendar each year, but Superintendent Ryan Scallon said the plan would be to include Yom Kippur and Eid going forward. District administrators and board members have described the addition of these two holidays as only a first step toward acknowledging the religious diversity of students. "The attempt in this calendar is to move towards including all major holidays from the holidays that our students celebrate. But we can't get there all the way yet," said board Chair Sarah Warren. "So we chose one high holiday from Judaism and one high holiday from the Muslim religion, and I think that after we get feedback, we can see what we can do in future years. But this is an attempt to move us in the right direction." The calendar vote happened during the board's final budget meeting. The board had not taken up the budget vote yet at press time. This story will be updated. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
BBC News
25-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Site of rejected £1bn waste incinerator near Hatfield to be sold
The site where a £1bn waste incinerator was proposed to be built before the plans were halted by the government is to be County Council said it no longer had "purpose" for the New Barnfield Centre site near Hatfield, where Hatfield School was based until authority had spent nearly £6m supporting the energy-from-waste project before it was turned down by the secretary of state in councillor Bob Deering, executive member for resources and performance at the council, said money from the sale would be "welcome in terms of our overall budget situation". Government planning inspectors turned down the processing plant on green belt land, calling it an "inappropriate" more than a decade the council retained the site as a possible location for a secondary at a cabinet meeting Mr Deering said there was no longer a "Hertfordshire County Council purpose for it".A council report said if it was marketed with planning permission for industrial use, it could be "very attractive in the marketplace".It did not state its value, the Local Democracy Reporting Service Boulton, Conservative executive member for sustainable economic growth, said the empty school site had been a cost to the council for some time, with the buildings described as being in "poor condition". Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
