How long can I keep seafood and produce out of the refrigerator?

I want to pick up groceries on my lunch break but I need to get seafood and produce. If I bring these items into the office (about 72 degrees) how long will it last?

It’s items like crab legs, scallops, apples, lettuce

Thank you

Here are some tips that will help you know what to do so that your seafood will stay fresh longer:
Tips on what to look for when you buy seafood:

1. Check the reputation of the retailer. Ask family and friends where they buy their seafood. Someplace that has a good reputation is a great place to start.

2. Smell – The location should not have stench. There should be a gentle smell of the sea but not of rotting seafood or fish. Any type of out of date odor is not something you should be comfortable with.

General Appearance – Does the place look clean? Does it look like things are kept in good repair? What you see in the front or retail area is usually the most presentable. So if the front looks bad then the area behind closed doors is probably not something you want to see or purchase from. The seafood itself should look like it was freshly caught. The texture should look moist, fresh and firm. The eyes should look clear and have a plump look. The eyes should never be sunken.

Make sure and have an ice chest – You want to make sure you have something to keep the seafood cool for the journey home. An ice chest or some type of chiller bag is a must. Being prepared makes all the difference. It is best to purchase your seafood only when you are going straight home.

Storing your seafood at home – As soon as possible make sure and place your seafood in the refrigerator if you do not plan to cook it right away. Never allow the seafood to sit it’s own juice. Keep it in the coldest part of the refrigerator and cover with ice. Never allow fish or seafood to sit not cooled for any length of time.

Keeping your seafood in the freezer – You should freeze seafood as soon as possible and when it is as fresh as possible. When freezing fish it is best to filet it rather than freezing it whole. If you are going to freeze the fish whole make sure and clean and gut if first. You should however leave the scales on. Wrap the fish in a plastic wrap then place inside a freezer bag. Make sure and remove all air from the bag. Place in the freezer with a label and date on the outside.

Shrimp should be frozen in a block or encased in ice type form.

These are just a couple of suggestions to help you in storing seafood. Make sure that if the seafood or fish has a strong smell you throw it out rather than take a chance.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta A Healthy Seafood Recipe

Here is a great (and healthier) twist on an old favorite! With just a few simple substitutions you can cut 68% less saturated fat, have 31% fewer calories and 70% more vitamin A than the original recipe normally used. This restaurant inspired favorite tastes as rich and flavorful as the original does, but won’t tax your health conscious mind!

Ingredients:
8oz of uncooked multi-grain angel hair pasta or spaghetti
4cups of fresh baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 cups of halved cherry tomatoes
3tsp of virgin olive oil
1 finely chopped med onion (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2lbs of fresh peeled med shrimp, deveined and remove tail shells
3 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1/4tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2cup of a dry white wine
1/4cup Progresso® reduced-sodium chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
1/4tsp of salt
1/8tsp of pepper
3Tbs of chopped fresh parsley
2Tbs of butter

Directions:

First, in 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, cook the pasta as directed on the package.
Then, drain and return to saucepan.
Stir in your spinach, tomatoes and the 2tsp of the oil. Cover it to keep warm.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch nonstick skillet.
Add onion; cook and stir for 1min. Then add your shrimp, garlic and the pepper flakes; cook and stir for 2mins.
Stir in the wine, broth, salt and pepper. Then cook 2mins or until the shrimp are a lovely pink color and are firm.
Remove from heat, then stir in the parsley and butter until the butter melts.
Add your shrimp mixture to the pasta mixture in your saucepan. Toss it to mix.
Let cool, serve and enjoy!

Everyone of us love to eat a variety of food items ranging from fried, grilled, toasted, deep fried, etc. Is your mouth watering when I talk about food items? Hmmm….however, for some people, certain food items would create allergy and they should avoid eating such food items. What is food allergy? It is the immunologic effect that is caused by the existence of food proteins.

4 Food Allergies - How To Overcome Them And Enjoy Your Food

A simple search in any of the famous search engines will give you a list of books and materials that details about food allergy. I recently came across a book titled “5 Years without Food: The Food Allergy Survival Guide: How to Overcome Your Food Allergies and Recover Good Healthy.” An interesting book that explains what is food allergy and food items that would cause allergy. If you are allergic towards a certain food item, it doesn’t mean you will have to forfeit the nutrients that you would have got, am I rite? You also get to understand the food items that can be taken as a supplement or as an alternative. It also explains few treatments related to food allergy. Don’t forget to read the book.

Apart from the tips given in the book, I too have listed a few, which would benefit readers who are prone to food allergy.

In general, food items such as shellfish, fish, soya, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts may create allergy in adults. Does it mean kids are not allergic towards food items? Definitely not…Milk, eggs, peanuts are known to create allergies in children. It is always a good idea to be knowledgeable about the food item that are allergic to you.

A key to food items and allergies:

1. Allergic towards egg: A person who is allergic towards egg is said to be hypersensitive towards nutritional substances derived from eggs such as yolk or the white of egg, albumin, Globulin, eggnog, etc. This may result in overreaction of the immune system.

It is advisable to stay away from food items made with egg if you are allergic towards egg. However, you need not worry about not eating egg. Many subsititutes for egg are available in the market today, which includes potato starch, tapioca, etc., and you may use them without any trouble. You can even use apple sauce as an alternative to egg.

2. Allergic towards tree nuts: What is tree nut allergy? Hypersensitive towards tree nuts is said to be called as tree nut allergy. Don’t confuse yourself with tree nuts and peanuts allergy. Both are different. Dry fruits are believed to be tree nuts where as peanuts are legumes. Children are prone to nut allergies than adults.

You can use soy nuts as an alternative to tree nuts. If you are of the opinion that soy nut is a nut, I would like to clarify a point here. It is not a nut, but actually soybean that goes through the procedure of soaking, which is then baked to get the crispy soy nut.

3. Allergy towards milk substances: Are you allergic towards proteins that are present in cow’s milk? If yes, you are allergic towards milk substances.

You may use rice milk or soy milk as a substitute to cow’s milk. This way you get the nutrients that you would have got from taking cow’s milk.

4. Allergic towards seafood: Allergy created by the intake of food items such as scaly fishes, crustaceans or shellfishes is termed as allergic towards seafood.

The best way is to stay away from seafoods. If you use a lot of canned food items, ensure that they don’t contain ingredients that are made of seafood.

Be picky about the food items that you eat. This may help you surmount the allergic reaction. Certain allergies can be cured in a short period of time; however, you can’t treat certain food allergies in your entire life span.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/4-food-allergies-how-to-overcome-them-and-enjoy-your-food-708826.html

Duration : 0:1:13

Louisiana Crawfish Casserole

Total Time: 1hrs 15min
Prep Time: 15min
Cook Time: 1hr

Ingredients:

1 lb of crawfish tails
1 10 3/4oz can of french onion soup
1 10 3/4oz can of cream of mushroom soup
1 10oz can of Rotel tomatoes & chilies
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
1/3 cup of melted butter
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped celery
salt and pepper*
1/2 cup grated monterrey jack cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Mix all of your ingredients (except for your cheeses) and pour them in a large greased casserole dish.
2. Cover the dish and bake at 350 for 45min.
3. Uncover the dish and sprinkle your cheeses over casserole.
4. Return to oven and bake for 15 minutes more.
5. Let cool then serve

* Use your own desired amount of seasoning. I used Tony’s as well as salt and pepper, but I tend to like my food spicy!

This dish also goes GREAT with some garlic bread or a good ol’ fashioned sweet cornbread. I hope ya’ll enjoy it as much as I did. Happy Eating Ya’ll!

You can print out this BBQ Pit Boys recipe at http://www.BBQPitBoys.com

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Duration : 0:6:3

Why should I have wine delivered at home?

Home delivery of food items has become a growing trend around the world. There are several sites that are perfect examples of a place to go for my favorite “food” item, wine. The reasons to buy wine online and have it delivered are numerous. With this in mind I started a hunt for the perfect wine delivery site.

Most of the sites I looked at have an ample selection of wines that can be delivered to your door. Most of the major producers offer online access. There are also many smaller producers that you would never be able to sample at your local grocer.  This is a huge advantage to buying wine and then having it delivered. The time it takes to go to different outlets to shop for different brands can be extensive.

Delivery is usually very easy to set up. Most sites offer delivery within two or three days. Some will deliver the next day depending on your time of order and geographic location. This is another advantage of convenience. The only time this is not available is when you realize at 5:00 that you need a bottle of wine at 6:00. This is a very difficult situation to fix other than getting in your auto and going yourself. When you have done a little of planning home delivery of wine is a very viable option.

I had one occasion where the bottle arrived broken. All I had to do was call the number listed on the site, and they worked it out. The lady was really rather pleasant to deal with. She even told me if I ever received a wine that I wasn’t happy with to give them a ring and they would work with me. Now that is service. Most sites are more than willing to work with you. They understand that accidents happen. Make sure and report it as soon as you discover the problem.

Home delivery is an option of convenience. It is something that is becoming more available and accepted and even expected by consumers. To me the convenience and the savings are really a great deal. Check it out and post your thoughts.

Cheers!

ed: This post was part of a sponsored conversation and reflects the true opinion of the author of this website.

How do I prepare a whole fish that I buy from the market for dinner?

I buy seafood from a local market and they have many kinds of fish for sale, the whole darn thing right there on ice. How do I get it from there to a dinner ready version? Cut the head off? The tail? What about the insides? And the skin and bones?

Hopefully the fish has been gutted, or you’re in for trouble. If you’ve never filleted a fish before, it can easily become a horrible looking piece of meat. Sometimes when you buy a whole fish, you can ask them to fillet it for you. I personally don’t like to deal with the skin on fish, because of the scales, having to descale the thing. ( I always end up with scales EVERYWHERE)
But if you are determined to cook a whole fish, just stuff the cavity with fresh parsley, lemon, salt, pepper and throw it on the grill until its done. But like I said, you’ll still have to deal with the skin issue.

The Top Eight Home Remedies To Eliminate Fish And Seafood Odors

Most of us are working on improving our lifestyles. Adding fish and seafood to our diets is a great way to accomplish this goal. The problem many people have with fish and seafood is the odor.

Here are the Top Eight Home Remedies To Eliminate Fish And Seafood Odors:

Top Eight Home Remedies To Eliminate Fish And Seafood Odors Home Remedy #1: Vinegar and Water

When you are panfrying baking or broiling fish or seafood there can be a bad odor. A simple method to eliminate the fish and seafood odor is to combine 3 tablespoons with 2 cups of water into a saucepan. Allow the mixture to simmer in the saucepan on the side own while you cook.

Top Eight Home Remedies To Eliminate Fish And Seafood Odors Home Remedy #2: Cook with a slice of apple

When you deep fry fish or seafood you can use a slice of apple to eliminate the odor from each batch. The apple will naturally absorb the smell. Simply discard the old apple slice and replace it with a new apple slice for each batch of fish and seafood.

Top Eight Home Remedies To Eliminate Fish And Seafood Odors Home Remedy #3: Cinnamon sticks for shrimp smell

When you are boiling fish and seafood, especially shrimp, add a piece of cinnamon to the water. This will greatly reduce the odor.

Top Eight Home Remedies To Eliminate Fish And Seafood Odors Home Remedy #4: Bake or broil instead of fry

When you cook your fish or seafood, using the baking or broiling methods instead of frying will help reduce the odor. The baking or broiling methods are also healthier.

Top Eight Home Remedies To Eliminate Fish And Seafood Odors Home Remedy #5: Marinate with milk and lemon

Using a milk and lemon marinate has a dual purpose. First it will help eliminate the smell of fish and seafood when you cook. Second it will help tenderize the fish or seafood. Place the fish and seafood in a saucepan and barely cover it with milk. Next add the juice from a half of a lemon. Allow the fish and seafood to marinate for one hour in the refrigerator. Then cook as planned.

Top Eight Home Remedies To Eliminate Fish And Seafood Odors Home Remedy #6: Lemon juice and salt to clean

When you are ready to clean your hands or anything else use lemon juice with a dash of salt.

Top Eight Home Remedies To Eliminate Fish And Seafood Odors Home Remedy #7: Ventilate

When you have plenty of ventilation odors will not become trapped. Open windows, use floor, box or ceiling fans to circulate the air.

Top Eight Home Remedies To Eliminate Fish And Seafood Odors Home Remedy #8: Freshen the air

Burn candles when cooking and also in the room where you plan to serve the fish and seafood. You can also boil a dozen cloves in some water. Take the juice and add to a container on a candle warmer in the room.

These Top Eight Home Remedies To Eliminate Fish And Seafood Odors are some suggestions. If you have any ideas comments or other suggestions feel free to post in the comments section.

Fish And Seafood Issues

"Chinese Food Recipes" Chinese Food Recipes

I think this may be one of the healthiest dishes within Chinese cuisine. There are many authentic dishes that are actually quite healthy and nothing like some of the ones you get already made from a local store. Authentic Chinese dishes tend to contain less meat and a lot more soy bean or vegetable products which are beneficial to your health.

So, here is the recipe for this Sixi Scallops. I hope you enjoy making it as much as I did!

You Will Need:

1lbs scallops
1 med washed and peeled carrot. Cut slightly thick.
1 red pepper, sliced into thin (about 2cm) diamond shape
1 yellow pepper, slice same as red pepper
1/2lbs of mange tout
1 clove of finely chopped garlic
1 slice of finely chopped ginger
1/2 chilli, thinly sliced
1/2cup of stock
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp potato starch or corn flour water (1 Tbsp of Potato starch or corn flour water :2 Tbsp cold water, mix them evenly before pouring in dish)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp powdered white pepper
1 Tbsp rice wine

Cooking Instructions:

First, marinade your scallops with the rice wine and a couple pinches salt and pepper powder.
Heat your wok with 1 Tbsp of oil and stir-fry the red and yellow peppers for 2 minutes.
After 2mins, add the carrot and stir-fry for an additional minute or two.
Next, add mange tout, chilli, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry everything for another 2 minutes.
Then add your scallops, and stock to the mix. Cover the wok with the lid and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in your potato starch and water next and bring it to boil again.

Let cool for a bit then enjoy!