July 4th is the holiday for a cookout. Grills are ablaze,
picnic tables are set, and watermelons are at the ready. But just because
you're cooking and dining outside doesn't mean you can abandon food safety
practices that you follow indoors.
"For some reason
when [people] go outside they leave all of those wonderful [food safety] tips
in the kitchen and they often forget to transfer them outside to the
barbecue," says Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD, LDN, Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics Spokesperson.
Remember, home food safety rules also apply in the backyard. So keep these tips in mind
when you're celebrating the red, white and blue.
Wash Up
Cross-contamination
happens when juices from raw meats or germs from unclean objects touch cooked
or ready-to-eat foods, causing bacteria to spread. Keeping food and cooking
utensils properly washed and separated can reduce your risk of food poisoning.
- Start with the grill. Wash it and make sure it's clean before you turn it on.
- Wash your hands. Not just before eating, but also before, during and
after preparing food. Salge Blake recommends bringing moist towelettes
outside for the grill master to wash up after touching raw meat.
- Don't use the same utensils for
cooked and raw foods. Wash
those tongs before you use them to take the cooked burger off the grill
(or use a separate, clean pair). Same goes for serving platters, cutting
boards and basting brushes.
Cook with Care
"Forget about
relying on 20/20 vision to let you know when the hamburger or the chicken is
done," says Salge Blake. Eyeballing it is a quick way to end up sick from
undercooked meat. For example, when it comes to hamburgers, looks can be
deceiving. According to Salge Blake, about one out of four hamburgers will turn
brown prematurely before they've reached the safe internal temperature of
160°F. "Make sure you use a food thermometer to determine when dinner is
ready," she says.
Don't Let Food Sit Out
Perishable foods
shouldn't sit out longer than two hours at room temperature. But if the weather is hot—90°F or
higher—discard the food after one hour. Instead of leaving
food outside, Salge Blake recommends serving it dinner plate style. That is,
keep the food inside where it might be cooler (if you have air-conditioning)
and dish it out on plates, rather than buffet style outside. "That can not
only help to reduce the risk of foodborne illness but actually might even help
with portion size," she says.
Keep Leftovers Safe
Keep an eye on the
time, and make sure you get food put away promptly. "You've got that one
hour/two hour rule and then you want to refrigerate it as fast as you
can," says Salge Blake. Store food in
airtight, shallow containers (about 2 inches deep) and put it in the right
place. "You want to make sure you categorize your refrigerator
appropriately, and that is to make sure that any cooked food doesn’t come into
cross-contamination with any raw food," says Salge Blake. "So we
don't want raw chicken on one shelf dripping on potato salad on the second
shelf." Put raw food in a container to catch any drippings and place it on
the bottom of the fridge. Cooked foods should go on top.
Practice Fireworks Safety, Too!
The Fourth and
fireworks go together, but make sure to make safety a priority as well.
Fireworks injuries most often result in burns to the hands and head, including
the eyes, face and ears. Watching from a distance is your safest bet, but if
you're planning to shoot fireworks on your own, use common sense and remember
these important safety tips:
- Use fireworks as intended and only outdoors
- Never give fireworks to small children
- Wear safety glasses when lighting and handling
fireworks
- Always have a bucket of water or water hose nearby
Excerpts taken from "Fourth of July Food Safety". Read more at http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442470753
Best Teen Diets recommends healthy well balanced eating that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein and low-fat or fat-free dairy. We offer nutrition information for teens, parents and educators that emphasizes the importance of healthy eating for peak performance. For more information visit www.bestteendiets.org
