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May 24, 2010

CDHD Offers Food Safety Tips for a Successful Summer Grilling Season

With longer days, warmer weather and Memorial Day just around the corner we know that summer grilling season is upon us. As you make plans to entertain with barbecues this summer, the Central District Health Department (CDHD) reminds you that safe food handling is 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 Tom Schmalz, CDHD Food Safety Program Manager. “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, there are 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 °F.
• Hamburgers should reach 155 °F.
• All poultry should reach a minimum of 165 °F.
• Fish should be cooked to 145 °F.
• Fully cooked meats like hot dogs should be grilled to 165 °F 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 °F and 300 °F 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 °F or above in chafing dishes, slow cookers or warming trays.
• Cold food can be kept chilled at 40 °F 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 °F – 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.

Interested in learning more about food safety? Check out the Basic Food Safety videos available for download from the CDHD website.

Another great resource is available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website. “Ask Karen” is 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.