Seven steps to summer outdoor food safety
The upcoming holiday weekend signals the start of the summer cook-out season. Warmer weather conditions may be ideal for outdoor picnics and barbecues, but they also provide a perfect environment for bacteria in food to multiply rapidly and cause foodborne illness. Here are seven steps to increase food safety and reduce the risk of foodborne illness this summer:
1. Wash, Wash, Wash Your Hands (as in Row, Row, Row Your Boat). Always, wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.
2. Marinating Mandate. Always marinate food in the refrigerator. Don’t use sauce that was used to marinate raw meat or poultry on cooked food. Boil used marinade before applying to cooked food.
3. Hot, Hot, Hot. When grilling foods, preheat the coals on your grill for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the coals are lightly coated with ash.
4. Temperature Gauge. Use a food thermometer to ensure that food reaches a safe internal temperature.
5. Where’s the Beef? Hamburgers should be cooked to 160 ºF to be safe. Remember, color is not a reliable indicator of doneness. Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of your burgers. Larger cuts of beef such as steaks and roasts may be cooked to 145 ºF for medium rare or to 160 ºF for medium. Poultry (either whole or pieces) must reach a temperature of 165 °F.
6. Stay Away from that Same Old Plate. When taking foods off the grill, do not put cooked food items back on the same plate that held raw food, unless it has been washed with hot, soapy water first. And in hot weather (above 90°F) foods should never sit out for more than one hour before going in the refrigerator.
7. Icebox Etiquette. A full cooler will maintain its cold temperatures longer than one that is partially filled so it is important to pack plenty of extra ice or freezer packs to ensure a constant cold temperature. Keep the cooler out of the direct sun and open it sparingly.
Subscribe to the comments for this post
Print This Post
Sorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.