The 2 Foods You Should Never Store In Aluminum Foil, According To A Food Safety Expert

Aluminum foil is a kitchen classic everyone has in their pantry. Rightfully so. The silver staple can be used for everything from reheating to baking—and maybe food storage? The answer is mostly yes, but Dr. Vanessa Coffman, Alliance Director for Stop Foodborne Illness , says that how you store it matters.

"While the foil itself is generally safe to use, certain foods, and the way they're cooled and stored, require a little extra care to help prevent food safety issues," she explains. The food safety concerns related to aluminum foil aren't about the foil itself; it's about how it's used. "The biggest risk comes from wrapping hot foods in foil before they've had a chance to cool properly."

Baked Potatoes

One beloved starch she says deserves special attention: the baked potato . Leaving baked potatoes wrapped in foil after they've finished cooking can create conditions that increase the risk of foodborne illness, and they shouldn't be left sitting in the foil at room temperature for extended periods. "Potatoes naturally carry botulism*-causing* spores," she explains.

"The low-oxygen environment created by the foil can allow those spores to grow if the potatoes remain in the temperature danger zone between 40°F and 140°F," she says. To prevent this, Coffman recommends removing the foil once the potatoes are cooked and refrigerating any leftovers as soon as they've cooled.

Acidic Foods

Have you ever wrapped a tomato in foil, only to go back for it and it tastes like aluminum? That's because acidic foods such as tomatoes and oranges may react with aluminum foil, causing a metallic taste or slight discoloration, but don't worry. "Although this can affect the flavor of the food, it is generally considered a quality issue rather than a food safety concern," Coffman tells us.

Cooling Leftovers

• "Leftovers should be cooled and refrigerated as quickly as possible —within two hours of cooking or serving—to keep them out of the temperature danger zone between 40°F and 140°F, where bacteria multiply most rapidly," Coffman shares. "If you reheat leftovers that weren't cooled quickly enough, whether they were wrapped in foil or something else, you may be eating food that allowed harmful bacteria to grow."

• Coffman says reheating doesn't always make food safe to eat because some bacteria can produce toxins that aren't destroyed by reheating. Why? "Because aluminum foil traps heat, wrapping hot food in foil before refrigerating can slow the cooling process, allowing food to remain at unsafe temperatures for longer than recommended." So don't forget to let food cool fully.

• "Avoid placing too many large, hot dishes in the refrigerator at once," she advises. This, Coffman says, can raise the appliance's internal temperature, making it harder to keep other perishable foods safely chilled.

Safe Storage

The best method for food storage , whether you're using aluminum foil or an alternative method, Coffman says, is to divide leftovers into shallow containers before refrigerating them. "Smaller portions cool more quickly, helping food move through the temperature danger zone faster," she says.

Read the original article on Southern Living