Myth 1: The “Five-Second Rule” Keeps You Safe
You drop a cookie on the floor and quickly grab it. It was only there for two seconds, so it’s perfectly safe to eat, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, this simply isn’t the case. If food comes into contact with surface bacteria, contamination will occur almost immediately. As a result, it is recommended that food items that are dropped on the floor are disposed of immediately.
This myth has been around for decades, but research shows bacteria don’t wait politely for five seconds before jumping onto your food. If food comes into contact with surface bacteria, contamination will occur almost immediately. Some surfaces may be cleaner than others, but there’s no magical time limit that guarantees safety. Your kitchen floor isn’t sterile, and neither is any other surface where food might land.
Myth 2: Best-By Dates Mean Food Expires Immediately
Think that yogurt with yesterday’s date is dangerous? Think again. “The idea that there’s a magic date when foods all of a sudden ‘expire’ is a myth,” says Gunders, the executive director of ReFED, a nonprofit committed to ending food waste. These dates are actually about peak quality, not safety. “Many people interpret food dates to be about the safety of food,” said ReFED President Dana Gunders. “But for the vast majority of foods, those dates are really just about quality.”
The confusion over these labels leads to massive food waste. Plus, some people see a “best by” date and think the food isn’t okay to eat anymore, when that label is typically signaling a food item’s peak quality, not an “expiration.” This confusion can lead to a lot more food being thrown out than necessary; in fact, the USDA estimates that about 30% of our food supply is either lost or wasted at retail and consumer levels. Most foods remain safe well beyond their printed dates when stored properly.
Myth 3: Canned Foods Are Only Good Until Their Expiration Date
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, canned contents are safe to eat as long as the can is in “good shape.” The Canned Food Alliance agrees, citing 100-year-old canned food that was recovered from sunken ships and tested microbiologically safe. That’s right – century-old canned food was still safe to eat!
Food stored constantly at 0 °F will always be safe. Only the quality suffers with lengthy freezer storage. For canned goods, the same principle applies at room temperature. High-acid canned foods (e.g., tomatoes and fruits) will keep their best quality for 12 to 18 months. Whereas low-acid canned foods (e.g., meats and vegetables) will keep for two to five years. The key is checking that the can isn’t dented, rusted, or bulging. If it looks good, it’s probably still good.
Myth 4: Freezing Food Kills All Bacteria
Here’s a dangerous misconception that could make you sick. This is a common misconception, a food safety myth. Home freezers at zero degrees F temporarily inactivate microbes, bacteria, yeast, and mold. The key word here is “inactivate,” not kill. While freezing food will render bacteria inactive, it won’t kill it. This means if your food entered the freezer contaminated, it would come out contaminated when thawed. Only cooking to the recommended high temperature is guaranteed to kill bacteria.
Freezing to 0 °F inactivates any microbes — bacteria, yeasts and molds — present in food. Once thawed, however, these microbes can again become active, multiplying under the right conditions to levels that can lead to foodborne illness. This is why proper thawing and immediate cooking are crucial for frozen foods, especially meat and poultry.
Myth 5: You Can’t Refreeze Previously Frozen Food
Your power went out, and your frozen meat partially thawed. Many people would throw it away, thinking it’s unsafe to refreeze. But that’s not necessarily true. If food is partly frozen, still has ice crystals, or is as cold as if it were in a refrigerator (40 °F), it is safe to refreeze or use. It’s not necessary to cook raw foods before refreezing.
The quality might suffer slightly due to moisture loss, but safety isn’t compromised if you follow the temperature guidelines. Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing. The key is ensuring the food never got warm enough for bacteria to multiply rapidly.
Myth 6: Frozen Vegetables Are Less Nutritious Than Fresh
Many people assume fresh is always better, but science says otherwise. Frozen fruit and veg tend to be picked and frozen at the time of their peak ripeness – also their peak nutritional levels. Nutrient levels in frozen produce do inevitably decrease over many months, but overall they sure give fresh produce a run for its money.
Canned fruit and vegetables have the same nutritional content, and sometimes even better nutritional content, compared to their fresh or frozen counterparts. For example, canned tomatoes have higher amounts of lycopene compared to fresh tomatoes. Lycopene is a natural plant compound found in tomatoes that has been associated with reducing the risk of cancer. In addition, canned tomatoes have more B-vitamins compared to fresh tomatoes. Fresh produce often travels long distances and sits on shelves, losing nutrients along the way. Frozen and canned options are processed at peak ripeness, locking in nutrition.
Myth 7: You Must Cool Hot Food Before Refrigerating
Grandma always told you to let food cool before putting it in the fridge, but this outdated advice can actually be dangerous. Another popular refrigeration myth is that hot foods need to be cooled for a certain period of time before being put into cold storage. In reality, there is no need to wait hours or even minutes before refrigerating hot foods. In fact, if you leave perishable food out for too long, you’re only inviting bacteria and other microbes to enter the picture. As long as the food is cooled quickly, it can be safely stored in a cold place right away.
Modern refrigerators can handle hot food without damaging other items inside. The danger zone for bacterial growth is between forty and one hundred forty degrees Fahrenheit, and leaving food out at room temperature keeps it in this danger zone longer than necessary. The faster you get food cold, the safer it becomes.
Myth 8: Keeping Avocado Pits Prevents Browning
You’ve probably seen this trick shared countless times on social media. There is common belief that gets spread around that keeping the seed inside a halved avocado will make it stay fresh longer. This is partially true but not for the reasons some may think. I’ve heard about folks who keep the pit in their guacamole to keep it fresher as well, but this doesn’t actually work.
The only reason that the pit might keep a halved avocado fresh is that where the pit makes contact with the flesh no oxygen can get to it to turn it brown. It’s purely about blocking air contact, not any magical properties of the pit itself. You’d get the same effect by pressing plastic wrap directly onto the avocado surface. The pit method only protects the small area it touches, leaving the rest of the avocado to brown normally.
Myth 9: Room Temperature Thawing Is Safe If You’re Quick
When you’re in a hurry, thawing meat on the counter seems convenient. But this practice puts you right in the bacterial danger zone. Surprisingly, this myth is still widely accepted by society. To be clear, frozen food should never be thawed at room temperature or in warm water. High-risk foods must be kept out of the Temperature Danger Zone (40°F–140°F), as this is the temperature range in which dangerous bacteria multiply quickly.
When you defrost meat, seafood and poultry, you are at risk of parts of the meat coming into the temperature danger zone (4-60 °C) even while the centre remains frozen. It’s safer to defrost in the fridge to avoid the danger zone. There are three safe ways to thaw food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. It’s best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator. Small items may defrost overnight; most foods require a day or two.
Myth 10: Honey Never Spoils, So Storage Doesn’t Matter
While it’s true that honey has incredible staying power, storage still matters for quality. However, honey doesn’t actually spoil. Honey is low in water, high in sugar, and also contains hydrogen peroxide- all of which act to preserve this golden sweetener. In the beehive honey is what’s fed to baby bees, so those anti-bacterial properties work well in keeping them from getting sick in such tight quarters. Honey that is well-sealed is known to last for years, sometimes even millennia. Pots of ancient honey were discovered in Egypt that were still perfectly edible despite being thousands of years old!
Honey will crystallize though and can do so pretty rapidly. This does not affect the usability and can be solved by heating the honey up and stirring. Proper storage in a sealed container away from moisture keeps honey at its best quality. Crystallization is natural and doesn’t mean the honey has gone bad – it’s just a physical change that’s easily reversible.
