Jeannie Nichols, Michigan State University Extension-November 16, 2016

With five simple steps, you can quickly cool down your food so that it is safe to eat later.

Improper cooling of food may be the main cause of foodborne illness. The Michigan State University branch received many calls from consumers asking how to safely cool prepared foods. One of the questions in an email I received recently was: "Is this soup safe to eat?" The consumer prepared four quarts of soup the night before, put it in the refrigerator, and added two quarts of frozen zucchini before refrigerating. After refrigerating overnight, the soup was still hot. Does this soup bring safety to the mother's sick family?

The answer to this question is no. This soup is definitely not suitable for anyone to eat. It must be thrown away.

If you are cooling a soup or stew, you can add frozen food, water or ice or any other liquid, which will become part of the soup or stew, which will also help cool down faster. But as you can see from the question above, this person added two quarts of frozen zucchini, which was not enough to cool it sufficiently.

Food usually needs help to cool fast enough to ensure safety. Take the time to cool the food within two hours, then put it in the refrigerator or freezer so you can enjoy quality and safe food in the future.

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