There's an art to ordering food; details can be hazardous
Whether dining out or preparing a feast at home, you are faced with a variety of food choices. There's much to learn about ordering, taking leftovers home, and reheating in the microwave. Many of these details are often overlooked and can pose a threat to your health. Dong Jinshi, Executive Vice President of the International Food Packaging Association, has long been an advocate for environmental protection and healthy consumption. A reporter interviewed him about safe food ordering during the Spring Festival to see how to "pick nits" on the details and eliminate risks for a healthy diet.
Order fewer fried, smoked, and pickled foods; avoid canned goods
Many edible fungi and off-season expensive foods in restaurants come from cans, such as durian-filled pastries. Canned foods contain preservatives, which are harmful to health if consumed frequently.
During the Spring Festival, many families enjoy having reunion dinners at restaurants. Many dishes in these restaurants are made from canned foods, which contain preservatives and are harmful to health if eaten too often. This includes various edible fungi and off-season expensive foods, with durian-filled pastries being one example.
In addition, some seafood, chicken feet, chicken legs, and chicken wings may be soaked in formaldehyde. It is advisable to avoid eating chicken legs, wings, or seafood that appear unnaturally large and white. Pig's trotters may be treated similarly. If the tremella (silver ear fungus) in a dish is unnaturally white, it has been treated with sulfur; normal tremella is pale yellow. Similarly, if candied dates appear translucent, they have also been treated with sulfur.
Furthermore, in the process of making fried foods, oil may be reused to save costs, leading to an increase in the carcinogen acrylamide. For smoked foods like smoked fish and meat, especially those smoked over a fire, carcinogens like dioxins are produced during the smoking process. It is best to eat such foods in moderation.
Many people eat hot pot during the Spring Festival, whether at home or out. When cooking meats like lamb slices in a hot pot, a layer of foam will rise to the surface. This foam should be scooped out promptly, especially if it is yellow or black.
This foam contains mostly hormones, which come from animal feed and hormones released by animals just before death. Additionally, never drink the broth after cooking, no matter how delicious it tastes. As many foods have been cooked in it, harmful substances remain in the broth.
Packaging: Avoid disposable chopsticks; bring your own containers for leftovers
Be cautious with disposable chopsticks that are very white and smooth; if you must use them, scald them with boiling water first. Over 80% of white "degradable" food containers are counterfeit products.
When dining out, many people prefer disposable chopsticks over the regular ones provided by restaurants, believing the regular ones may not be cleaned thoroughly. However, China currently has no safety standards for chopsticks. In the manufacturing process of disposable chopsticks, sulfur is often used for whitening, medicinal solutions for soaking, and paraffin for polishing. Therefore, be very cautious with disposable chopsticks that are very white and smooth; if you must use them, scald them with boiling water first. The same applies to disposable toothpicks.
When Chinese people dine together, they often order more food than they can eat, leaving a lot of leftovers on the table. What to do? Many people are no longer shy about asking for a doggy bag, but it's best to bring your own containers for leftovers, as not all restaurants guarantee the quality of their takeout boxes.
The safest containers for leftovers are clear plastic ones, as they are made of pure plastic. If the bottom of the box has a triangle with a "5" inside and "PP" (polypropylene) written below, it is safe for microwave reheating. If it also has a "QS" mark and a number, it is even safer.
Over 80% of white "degradable" food containers on the market are counterfeit. To identify them: if the container feels hard, does not tear easily, and does not leak when filled with food, it is合格 (qualified). Otherwise, it is不合格 (unqualified).
Finally, you can tear a piece of the container and throw it in water. If it floats, it is made of pure plastic (specific gravity about 0.93, less than water's) and is合格. If it sinks, it contains harmful substances like paraffin. Unqualified containers will release many harmful substances when used for oily or acidic foods, or when heated in a microwave.
Even with qualified containers, it's best to transfer food from "degradable" boxes into safer containers at home. Food packed in clear plastic containers should be consumed within 3 days if refrigerated.
Heating: Avoid microwaving oily foods
Oil can reach temperatures of 250°C when heated, while the heat resistance of safe plastic containers is 130°C. Heating oily foods in the microwave can cause safe plastics to release low-molecular-weight compounds.
Being lazy can compromise your health. It is recommended to reheat leftovers by stir-frying them in a pan. If you must use a microwave, pay attention to the material of the heating vessel. Determine the heating time based on the amount and temperature of the food. Ceramic and glass are the preferred choices.
Metal and enamel containers cannot be used in a microwave. Besides polypropylene, no other plastic materials are safe for microwave use. Melamine (imitation porcelain) tableware must be heated with strict temperature control in a microwave.
Try not to heat oily foods in the microwave, such as fried foods or foods boiled in pure oil. Because oil can reach about 250°C when heated, while the heat resistance of safe plastic containers is 130°C, this can cause the plastic to release low-molecular-weight compounds.
For heating material selection, only polypropylene is currently safe for microwave use. Other plastic materials are not safe. Household ceramic and glassware are both safe options.