July is all about outdoor barbecue grilling with friends and family! Follow a few simple strategies that can prevent an unfriendly experience with barbecue grills and bacteria.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food on the grill. If you are eating where there is no source of clean water, make sure you bring soap, water and paper towels or you have disposable wipes or hand sanitizer with you.
- Marinate food in the refrigerator and not on the counter. If you wish to use marinade as a sauce on cooked food, save a separate portion in the fridge. Do not reuse marinade that touched raw meat, poultry, or seafood on cooked food unless it is boiled first.
- Keep raw food separate and securely wrapped at the bottom of a cooler so their juices will not contaminate already prepared foods or raw produce. Do not use a plate or utensils that held raw meat, poultry, or seafood for anything else unless you wash them first in hot, soapy water. Keep a clean platter and utensils ready to go next to the grill for serving.
- Cook foods thoroughly and use a food thermometer to make sure all harmful bacteria are destroyed. Refer to http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html for details. Incomplete precooking in the microwave oven or on the stove is a good way to reduce grilling time- but be sure the food goes immediately on the preheated grill to finish cooking.
- Keep hot food hot and cold food cold. Hot food should be kept at 140°F or above until served. Cooked meats can be kept hot be setting them to the side of the grill or wrapped well and placed in an insulated container. Cold foods should be kept at 40°F or below until served. Cold perishable food can be kept cold in a cooler until serving time, out of direct sun. Transport food in the passenger compartment of your car where it is cooler, and not the trunk.
- Put these items on your grocery list: food thermometer, several coolers (one for beverages, one for raw meats, poultry and seafood, and another for cooked foods and raw produce), ice or frozen gel packs, jug of water, soap and paper towels for washing hands, enough plates and utensils to keep raw and cooked foods separate, and foil or other wrap for leftovers.
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