Dinner Made Simple

Cooling Cooked Food

When cooked food will not be served immediately or when you are storing leftover cooked food, it’s important to cool it as quickly as possible. Most small portions may be cooled to room temperature (about 70F, as long as this happens within two hours), and then placed in your refrigerator. However, if you have a large amount of food to cool, such as a big batch of soup, you should not cool it in your refrigerator, because it will reduce the overall temperature of your refrigerator and endanger the food that is stored in it. A good way to quickly cool a large batch of food is to place the container of food in a large bowl or pot filled with ice and water. Stir the food frequently to cool it faster and evenly.

Storing Cooked Food

Once food has cooled to at least 70F it can be stored in your refrigerator. Containers of food should be covered, and then positioned so that air can circulate around it. This is why you shouldn’t overcrowd your refrigerator. It’s a good idea to label stored food or leftovers with the date it was cooked and stored.