Is a chimichanga just a fried burrito?

Not quite. A chimichanga is a filled flour tortilla folded and deep-fried. Researchers broadly place its accidental invention at an Arizona restaurant, though they disagree about which one, as Wikipedia's chimichanga entry sets out.

Is takeout safe to keep for later?

Take-home food and cooked leftovers should go into the refrigerator within 2 hours. If the food has been above 90°F, such as in a hot car on the way home, the window shrinks to 1 hour. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, as the CDC's guide to preventing food poisoning advises.

Is the rice from the plate safe to save?

Cooked rice can carry Bacillus cereus spores that survive cooking, so it should not sit at room temperature. The cooling target is 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, as NC State Extension's note on leftover rice explains.

How can a reader check whether a restaurant is inspected?

In New Hampshire the state Food Protection program licenses and inspects food service establishments. For a particular restaurant, the next place to ask is the Health Division of the town it is in, and UNH Extension's guide to NH Food Protection requirements is a starting point for the rules.

Is Spanish food the same as Mexican food?

No. The section below explains which words to search and why the difference decides where a reader should look.

Cooking FAQ: Straight Answers for Skeptical Cooks

Short, checkable answers for readers who want the source before they trust a dish, a recipe or a food rule. We name the source beside every figure so a reader can check it first.

Quick answers to the questions skeptics ask first

Is a chimichanga just a fried burrito?: Not quite. A chimichanga is a filled flour tortilla folded and deep-fried. Researchers broadly place its accidental invention at an Arizona restaurant, though they disagree about which one, as Wikipedia's chimichanga entry sets out.
Is takeout safe to keep for later?: Take-home food and cooked leftovers should go into the refrigerator within 2 hours. If the food has been above 90°F, such as in a hot car on the way home, the window shrinks to 1 hour. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, as the CDC's guide to preventing food poisoning advises.
Is the rice from the plate safe to save?: Cooked rice can carry Bacillus cereus spores that survive cooking, so it should not sit at room temperature. The cooling target is 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, as NC State Extension's note on leftover rice explains.
How can a reader check whether a restaurant is inspected?: In New Hampshire the state Food Protection program licenses and inspects food service establishments. For a particular restaurant, the next place to ask is the Health Division of the town it is in, and UNH Extension's guide to NH Food Protection requirements is a starting point for the rules.
Is Spanish food the same as Mexican food?: No. The section below explains which words to search and why the difference decides where a reader should look.

Why a search for Spanish food starts in the wrong place

Several of the dishes this guide covers trace their origins to Mexican border towns, not to Spain. Wikipedia's nachos entry records that Ignacio 'Nacho' Anaya created them in 1943 at the Victory Club in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, for American customers.

Spanish food, as the phrase is used, points a reader toward Spain's kitchens, where paella is the best-known rice dish. A search built on that phrase lands on a different menu from the one this guide covers, which makes it the wrong place to start.

The words to search are the dish's own name, with Mexican or Tex-Mex after it. Wikipedia's tres leches entry shows why a country word is risky: a sponge soaked in three milks has a disputed origin, so we would not name a country for it.

Search for the dish by its name, with Mexican or Tex-Mex after it, and you will reach the menus this guide is about.

Thornton's Ferry Table, on which words to search

Where the answers lead next

Once the safety and ordering questions are settled, What We Cook sorts the choice of dish for an evening, Beginners sets out the order to learn these dishes, and Ingredients explains the terms a menu uses.

A single cook in an apron beside steaming stockpots in a kitchen — A stock photo of one cook beside steaming pots. It shows a kitchen, not any particular one.

Two cooks in plain aprons at a steel counter, seen from behind, one shaping tortillas — Generated for illustration: tortilla work at a steel counter, not a record of a real crew.

An empty small-town main street of brick and clapboard storefronts with no signs — A generated street with no signs on any building. For a specific place, ask its town Health Division.

Why some answers weigh more at certain tables

The answers above do not weigh the same for every table. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's advice on queso fresco-type cheeses says pregnant women, adults 65 and older and people with weakened immune systems should avoid them because of Listeria. A party with one of those people should ask before ordering a dish topped or filled with fresh Mexican-style cheese, and settle the question before the plate arrives.

Three problems a reader can solve alone

Keep a running clock on takeout

Track the time from when the food was served, and check it against the 2-hour and 1-hour limits in the answers above. A hot car on the way home is the common case where the shorter limit applies.

Reheat to 165°F, not just warm

Leftovers and casseroles should reach 165°F inside, and ground chicken or turkey takes the same figure, as the CDC guide linked above sets out. A plate that is hot at the edges can still be cold in the middle, so check the centre with a food thermometer.

Name the allergen at the counter

Milk, eggs, wheat, soy and sesame turn up in cheese, shells and sauces, and a shared fryer can carry traces between dishes. Ask about each one by name before ordering, rather than asking whether a dish is safe in general.

Sources behind the food-safety answers

U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Food Allergies, What You Need to Know, the regulator's guide to the major allergens, label rules and symptoms
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Foods That Can Cause Food Poisoning, which foods carry the most risk and how to prevent illness