# Handout 01.17: Where Does It Go Sort

Name: ______________________ Date: __________ Team: ______

## Part 1: The four zones and the two numbers

Label each zone and write the safe temperature where there is one.

| Zone | Temperature | What goes here |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | at or below ______ F | |
| Freezer | at or below ______ F | |
| Pantry | cool, dry, dark, off the floor | |
| Counter | room temperature, a day or two | |

Inside the refrigerator, raw meat goes on the ____________ shelf because ____________________.

The door of the refrigerator is the ____________ spot, so only ____________ go there.

## Part 2: The sort

Directions: Your team has twelve food cards. Sort them into the four zones. Write each food in its zone. Then do the second sort: mark each food U (use first, within a few days), W (use this week), or M (keeps for months).

| Refrigerator | Freezer | Pantry | Counter |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |

The twelve cards: raw ground beef, eggs, bananas, bread, canned beans, milk, frozen peas, cooked rice leftovers, potatoes, an open jar of salsa, a bag of flour, a rotisserie chicken bought today.

One card our team argued about: ____________. We put it in ____________ because ____________________.

## Part 3: Dates, FIFO, and leftovers

Copy the meaning of each date phrase:

- **Best by:** ________________________________ (about ____________, not safety)
- **Use by:** ________________________________ (for raw meat, poultry, fish, and dairy, treat this as the limit)
- **Sell by:** ________________________________ (a note for the ____________)

**FIFO** stands for ____________ in, ____________ out. When you put a new can on the shelf, it goes ____________ the old can, so the old one gets used first.

**The two-hour rule:** cooked or perishable food goes into the refrigerator within ______ hours of coming off the heat or out of the store (______ hour if the room is over 90 F). After that, it goes in the trash.

**Leftovers:** eat within ______ to ______ days. If you will not, ____________ them. Label the container with the ____________.

Practice: milk says "sell by Tuesday." It is Wednesday and it smells fine. Safe or not? ______ Why? ____________________

Practice: leftover pasta sat out from 6 pm to 10 pm. Fridge or trash? ______ Why? ____________________

## Part 4: The waste scenario

A family throws away this every week [update from this week's circular]:
- Half a bag of spinach (the bag cost $2.99, so half is $1.50)
- Four slices of bread (the loaf cost $2.49 and has 20 slices, so four slices are about $0.50)
- One container of leftovers they forgot about (about $3.00 of food)

Weekly cost of the waste: $______ + $______ + $______ = $______

Yearly cost (times 52): $______

That is about ______ dinners at $40.

Two storage habits that would cut this waste, and why each works:

1. Habit: ____________________ Why it works: ____________________
2. Habit: ____________________ Why it works: ____________________

Sentence starter: "Our family could ____________ so that ____________ does not get thrown away."

* * *

## Teacher key

Part 1: refrigerator at or below 40 F; freezer at or below 0 F. Raw meat on the bottom shelf because drips cannot land on ready-to-eat food. The door is the warmest spot, so only condiments (ketchup, mustard, dressing) go there; not milk, not eggs.

Part 2:
- Refrigerator: raw ground beef (U, if cooking within 1 to 2 days; otherwise freezer), eggs (W), milk (W), cooked rice leftovers (U, 3 to 4 days), open salsa (W, once opened), rotisserie chicken bought today (U, 3 to 4 days).
- Freezer: frozen peas (M). Raw ground beef goes here if not cooking within 2 days (M, 3 to 4 months for best quality).
- Pantry: canned beans (M), bag of flour (M), potatoes (W to M; cool, dark, not the fridge). Bread can go here if used within a few days.
- Counter: bananas (U to W), bread (W; freezer if longer).
Ten of twelve in a defensible zone is "got it." Potatoes and the open salsa are the usual misses.

Part 3: Best by: the maker's date for best taste and texture; about quality. Use by: the last date the maker recommends for peak quality; for perishables, treat as the limit. Sell by: a note for the store about how long to display it. FIFO: first in, first out; the new can goes behind the old. Two-hour rule: within 2 hours (1 hour over 90 F). Leftovers: 3 to 4 days; freeze; date. Milk on Wednesday: usually still safe; sell by is for the store, and milk keeps about a week past it if refrigerated; smell and look are the check. Pasta out for four hours: trash; past the two-hour rule.

Part 4: $1.50 + $0.50 + $3.00 = $5.00 a week. Times 52 = $260 a year. That is 6 and a half dinners at $40 (accept 6 or 7). Habits (any two with a matching reason): keep spinach in a container with a paper towel and use it first (moisture is what spoils it); freeze half the loaf (freezing stops the staling and the mold); put leftovers at the front of the fridge with the date on the lid (FIFO and the label make them visible); plan the week's dinners so the spinach has a job (a pantry check before shopping); buy the smaller bag (the bulk trap from Lesson 1.16).