If the idea of preparing a meal after a long day in work seems like too much hard work, you could easily fall into the habit of making double portions.
It might sound like a handy way to cook for two days and save some effort, but did you know that you could be leaving yourself open to food poisoning?
Foods like potatoes can begin to grow bacteria post-cooking if left to cool down at room temperature instead of immediately refrigerating as warm temperatures can promote the growth of botulism bacteria.
This strain of bacteria can’t be killed by cooking in a microwave – so you might be best binning those extra leftovers.
Similarly, rice is another prime location for bacteria to reproduce, according to the UK Food Standards Agency:
“Uncooked rice can contain spores of bacteria that can cause food poisoning. When the rice is cooked, the spores can survive.
“If the rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores will multiply and may produce poisons that cause vomiting or diarrhoea. Reheating the rice won’t get rid of these poisons.”
Really, you should be careful how you choose to reheat any of your meals. Oils such as grape seed, walnut, avocado, hazelnut and flaxseed have very low smoke points.
This means that when you plan to reheat the oil, they run a high risk of becoming rancid. Avoid using them as your cooking oil and instead add as a dressing onto your dish post re-heating to add some extra flavour.
