JAKARTA - Storing food cannot be done carelessly. Improper storage methods can actually damage nutritional content, change taste quality, and even pose health risks.
Therefore, the process of storing food is ideally thought of from the beginning of processing, not just after the food becomes waste.
Nutritionist Dr. Rita Ramayulis, DCN, M.Kes explained that food storage should be planned from the start of the cooking process. According to him, storing food that has been heated many times is not the best choice because it has the potential to reduce the quality of nutrients.
"If you really intend to store food, you should have separated it from the beginning. So it's not leftover food that is then reheated, because it's not good," he said.
He gave an example of spicy dishes such as rendang and opor. For rendang, the food should be set aside while still in the kalio or stew stage, that is, before the cooking process continues until it is dry. The set aside part can be stored or frozen, while the rest is still cooked until it becomes ready-to-eat rendang.
"Later when the rendang is finished, the kalio that is stored can be cooked again until it is cooked. So the cooking process is still one series, not cooked again from the beginning," he explained.
Meanwhile, for stewed dishes such as opor, Rita suggests that the food be separated when it has reached one boiling point. At this stage, the opor has not been cooked for too long so it is still relatively safe if it is reheated before serving.
According to him, the key to maintaining food quality is to determine from the beginning which parts will be consumed directly and which will be stored. In this way, the risk of nutritional damage due to repeated heating can be minimized.
"The point is, we have planned from the beginning. Which will be stored and which will be consumed once. This is important so that nutritional substances are maintained," said the Chairman of the Indonesian Sport Nutritionist Association (PP ISNA) for the 2019-2024 period.
Furthermore, Rita also reminded that foods that undergo long cooking processes, such as santan rendang, need special attention if they are to be reheated. Although santan contains MCT fat that is relatively stable against heat, the long cooking process of rendang from the beginning makes repeated reheating risky for accelerating the destruction of nutrients and triggering the formation of certain chemical compounds.
"If it has been cooked for a long time from the beginning, then it is heated again and again, then the potential for damage to the gizinya is greater," he explained.
Unlike santan dishes that are cooked briefly, such as lodeh vegetables that are only heated to boil once. This type of cooking is still considered safe to be reheated because the exposure to heat is not too long.
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