Lesson 1.17, one day, 13 slides.
Do now
- You bring groceries home. You put the milk away.
- You leave the rotisserie chicken on the counter because you are eating it in three hours.
- Is that OK? Use the words "danger zone" in your answer.
Teacher notes
Hands for yes and no. The answer is no: three hours in the danger zone is past the two-hour rule.
The $10 in the trash
- Families in this country throw away a large share of the food they buy. [Sal: cite the USDA figure you trust; reported as 30 to 40 percent of the food supply.]
- On a $40 dinner budget, that is about $10 a week.
- Today is about keeping that $10.
Teacher notes
Image: a grocery bag with a quarter of it drawn falling into a trash can.
The four zones
- Refrigerator: at or below 40 F
- Freezer: at or below 0 F
- Pantry: cool, dry, dark, off the floor
- Counter: room temperature, a day or two only
Teacher notes
Image: four photos, one per zone.
Read the room's real thermometers aloud.
Inside the refrigerator
- Bottom shelf: raw meat. Drips cannot land on anything below it.
- Middle and top: ready-to-eat food, leftovers, dairy.
- Drawers: fruits and vegetables.
- Door: the warmest spot. Condiments only. Not milk, not eggs.
Teacher notes
Image: a labeled diagram of a refrigerator, shelf by shelf.
Where Does It Go sort
- Twelve cards. Four zones. Teams of four.
- Then sort again: use first (a few days), this week, keeps for months.
- Write one reason for any card your team argued about.
- 8 minutes.
Three dates, three meanings
- Best by: about taste and texture. Not safety.
- Use by: the last day the maker promises it is at its best. For raw meat, poultry, fish, and dairy, treat it as the limit.
- Sell by: a note for the store.
Teacher notes
Image: three real package photos with the date phrase enlarged on each.
FIFO
- First In, First Out.
- The new can goes behind the old can.
- The old one comes out first.
- Stores do it. Restaurants do it. Do it at home.
Teacher notes
Image: two cans on a shelf with arrows showing the new one going to the back.
The two-hour rule
- Cooked or perishable food goes into the refrigerator within 2 hours.
- 1 hour if the room is over 90 F.
- After that, it is trash. Smell does not tell you.
Teacher notes
This is the rule that keeps someone from getting sick after the Lesson 1.20 lab.
Leftovers
- Eat within 3 to 4 days.
- If you will not, freeze them.
- Label the container with the date.
- Reheat to 165 F.
Teacher notes
Image: a container with a piece of masking tape reading "rice, Tues."
The waste scenario
- Half a bag of spinach ($1.50). Four slices of bread ($0.50). One forgotten container of leftovers ($3.00). Every week.
- Weekly cost? Yearly cost (times 52)? How many $40 dinners is that?
- Two storage habits that would cut it, and why each works.
Teacher notes
7 minutes. Take three teams' habits and one yearly number aloud.
Where wasted food goes
- Food in a landfill breaks down without air and makes methane, a greenhouse gas.
- Less waste is cheaper for the family and better for everyone.
- The cheapest food is the food you already bought and actually ate.
Teacher notes
Image: a landfill with a small cloud drawn above it.
Exit card
- 3 foods and where each goes
- 2 of the three date phrases and what they mean
- 1 storage habit you will try at home this week
Tomorrow
- Two families. Two dinners. $12 and $38.
- Which family ate better?
- The project starts.
Teacher notes
Image: two covered plates, one with a $12 tag and one with a $38 tag.