Hot stew, stocks, soups, and sauces are difficult to cool, so the goal is to minimize leftovers. Any leftovers must be cooled from 130 to 45F in less than 15 hours. To accomplish this, food should be cooled in containers at a depth of less than 2 inches. This can be done by adding either vinegar or lemon juice in a ratio of 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces of water and egg. Once washed, these food items should be cooked in 1 hour or dried and chilled if they are to be used raw in cold salads and fruit dishes.
Most fruits are sufficiently acidic to prevent the survival and growth of most pathogens.
The holes allow oxygen in the air to get inside the package and prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum, which grows without air . After cooking fruits and vegetables and cereal items such as pasta, keep them above 150F for quality, 130F for safety, if you need to hold them, or cool the food to 45F in less than 15 hours. When most grains and cereals are cooked, the spores survive, and if the food is allowed to sit at 80 to 120F for 9 to 12 hours, the food may cause foodborne illness resulting in diarrhea and vomiting. All cooked cereal products should be eaten within 2 hours after preparation to ensure safety. Be aware that nuts and seeds, although not typically washed, might contain shell fragments, low levels of pesticides, and mold toxins.