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USDA Offers Food Safety Tips for a Successful Summer Grilling Season 5-19-08
The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer and Memorial Day
is fast approaching - all signs that the summer grilling season is nearly upon
us. As you make plans to kick off the summer grilling season at your Memorial
Day barbecue this year, USDA reminds you that safe food handling skills are the
key to making your cookout a big hit with your guests.
"When you're enjoying a cookout with friends and family, the last thing you want
to do is make them sick," said Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard
Raymond. "Before you even fire up the grill, you need to be aware of safe
grilling and food preparation practices that will make sure your guests enjoy a
tasty and safe meal."
Whether you're hosting a neighborhood barbecue or cooking for a few friends and
family members, the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline offers four easy steps to
help you Be Food Safe and reduce the threat of foodborne illness:
Clean: First things first : make sure you start with clean surfaces and
clean hands. Be sure that you and your guests wash your hands before preparing
or handling food. Hands should be washed with soap and warm water for 20 seconds
before and after handling food. Equally important are the surfaces that come in
contact with raw and cooked foods - make sure they are clean before you start
and are washed frequently.
Separate: Raw meats and poultry should be prepared separately from
veggies and cooked foods. When you chop meats and veggies, be sure to use
separate cutting boards. Juices from raw meats can contain harmful bacteria that
could cross-contaminate raw veggies and already cooked foods.
Cook: Masters of the grill are no match for foodborne illness, so it's
important to have all the right tools. Your food thermometer is the most
important tool that will tell you if your food is thoroughly cooked, as color is
not a reliable indicator of doneness.
Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often brown quickly and may appear done on
the outside, but still may not have reached a safe minimum internal temperature
to kill any harmful bacteria. Steaks, roasts and chops should be cooked to 145
°. Hamburgers should reach 160
°. All poultry should reach a minimum of 165
°. Fish should be cooked to 145
°. Fully cooked meats like hot dogs should
be grilled to 165 ° or until steaming hot.
As you take the cooked meats off the grill, be sure to place them on a clean
plate or platter, NOT on the unwashed dish that held them when they were raw.
The juices left on the plate from the raw meats can cross-contaminate cooked
foods.
If you prefer to prepare meats using a smoker, the temperature in the smoker
should be maintained between
225 ° and 300 °
for safety. Be sure to use your food thermometer to be certain the food has
reached a safe minimum internal temperature.
Chill: Keeping food at a safe temperature is always a major concern at
picnics and cookouts. Too often, food is prepared and left to sit out while
guests munch over the course of several hours. However, bacteria can start to
grow on perishable food that has been sitting out too long.
It's important to keep hot food hot and cold food cold. Hot food can be kept
safe at 140 ° or above in chafing dishes,
slow cookers or warming trays, and cold food can be kept chilled at 40
° or below with ice packs or ice sources
underneath.
Perishable food should never sit out for more than two hours. And if the
temperature is above 90 ° - which can be
common at summer picnics - perishable foods shouldn't sit out more than one
hour. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers promptly and discard any food that has sat
out too long.
One of the best resources available before you plan a summer cookout is USDA's
virtual representative, "Ask Karen," a feature that allows you to ask food
safety-related questions 24 hours a day. Visit "Ask Karen" at AskKaren.gov. Food
safety coaches are available by phone at the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline at
1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854). Recorded messages are available 24 hours a day
and the Hotline is staffed with food safety experts, Monday through Friday from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time.