Takeout Food
Takeout Food It's a Grab and Go World! TIP 1: More than two is bad for you! TIP 2: Here's the rule: Get it COOL! TIP 3: Avoid delay, eat in a day! TIP 4: Don't miss a beat, safely reheat! TIP 5: When in doubt, toss it out（扔掉）!
Do it at a drive-through(快速的；食物上得很快的） restaurant.
Catch it at a cafeteria.
Grab it in a grocery store.
Mealtime is "grab and go" for many people. Take-out food is taking over. Wherever you obtain your take-out food, certain food safety tips apply:
Two hours is the maximum time perishable foods should be kept at room temperature（室温）. When not kept under control, bacteria [bækˈtiəriə]
（细菌）can grow rapidly. If you're serving food in temperatures over 90 F, such as a picnic, limit the time in which food sits out to one hour or less. Just ONE bacterium, doubling every 20 minutes, could grow to 64 bacteria in two hours and 2,097,152 bacteria in seven hours!
Don't hesitate, refrigerate . . . at 40 F or colder . . . if you won't be eating your take-out meal within two hours.
Perishable [ˈperɪʃəbəl]（容易腐烂的，容易变质的）foods include meat, poultry [ˈpəultri]（家禽）, fish, dairy products（奶类产品，乳制品）, pasta, rice and cooked vegetables. Also, refrigerate fresh, peeled and/or cut fruits and vegetables within a couple of hours.
Refrigerate hot take-out foods right away if you won't be eating them within two hours -- let the refrigerator cool them down. Leave the covers of containers cracked open to help food cool faster. Cover tightly once the food is cooled.
For large quantities, divide food into loosely covered shallow containers before refrigerating; cover tightly when cool. Food cools more rapidly in shallow（浅的，不深的） containers, limiting the growth of bacteria.
If you leave your pizza and other perishable foods at room temperature for more than a couple of hours, TOSS them out. Some types of bacteria can form a heat-resistant toxin that cooking can't destroy.
Plan to eat take-out foods and leftovers within a day for greater safety and quality.
Don't reheat take-out food in its original container in the microwave, unless the container is described as safe for microwave use. Chemicals from carryout containers can be absorbed into foods at high temperatures. Safe containers for microwave cooking include glass and glass ceramic cookware, and those labeled for microwave use.
To heat thoroughly in your microwave:
COVER the microwave container with a lid or plastic wrap turned back at one corner. The plastic wrap shouldn't touch the food. This prevents the possible absorption of chemicals from the plastic wrap at high temperatures. Trapped steam helps destroy bacteria and ensure uniform cooking.
STIR AND/OR ROTATE food midway and as needed during microwaving.
REHEAT foods until they are steaming hot throughout (165 F).
You can't always see, smell or taste bacteria that cause food-borne （食物传播的）illness. It takes from 1/2 hour to two or more weeks before you get sick from contaminated （污染的）food. Sometimes it's hard to know if food has been handled safely. If you don't know, give food the heave ho!
