Food-borne illness potential rises with the temperature

Like the outdoor temperature, the potential for food-borne illnesses rises with the Memorial Day weekend and the official kickoff of backyard barbecue season.

Potentially hazardous foods are abundant at most cookouts, from ground beef burgers and grilled or fried chicken to cut melons, all of which can support bacterial growth if precautions are not taken. The risk of food-borne illness rises with warm weather and when food is taken away from the refrigerator or freezer.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control offers the following food safety tips that can keep you from ending up with the symptoms of a food-borne illness and a lousy ending to your day of remembrance and celebration of your freedoms on Memorial Day.

Remember these words and phrases: Clean, Wash Your Hands, Cook, Separate: Don’t Cross-Contaminate, Chill.

Clean: Hands, utensils (bring plenty of extra utensils and platters), clean thermometers.

Wash Your Hands: Wash your hands often with warm to hot soapy water after every chance of contamination; from touching raw foods, before and after preparing foods, using the bathroom, smoking or blowing your nose. Use single-service paper towels to dry your hands.

Separate: Don’t Cross-Contaminate: Separate raw and cooked/ready-to-eat foods to prevent cross-contamination. Separate utensils, platters and cutting boards used for raw foods and cooked/ready-to-eat foods.

Also separate unlike raw foods such as chicken and beef from one another. Do not use the same cooler for raw and cooked items or ready-to-eat products in storage. Do not use ice for beverages from a cooler used to store raw meats or other foods.

Cook: It is safe to eat steaks rare provided the exterior is seared on a hot grill. Hamburger meat needs to be fully cooked all the way through or until no longer pink in the middle. Use a metal-stem food thermometer with a range of 0o F to 220o F.

Cook ground beef, veal or pork to an internal temperature of at least 155o F. Cook beefsteak to at least 155o F external temperature. Cook ground poultry (chicken or turkey) and whole poultry to an internal temperature of at least 165o F. Cook whole fish fillets to a minimum internal temperature of 145o F. Keep hot foods hot. After cooking potentially hazardous foods to their proper temperatures, do not let the foods fall below a 130o F holding temperature. It is always best to serve hot foods right off the grill after cooking.

Chill: The temperature of potentially hazardous foods such as meats should be kept at 45o F or below when chilled or stored cold. Prepare coolers for keeping foods to be stored cool at 45o F by using ice packs or similarly approved methods.

Harmful bacteria grow most rapidly in what is referred to as the danger zone if held between 45o F to 130o F – so it is important to keep food out of this temperature range. Try not to cook or prepare too many food items to prevent leftovers.

If you have leftovers, KEEP THEM HOT or KEEP THEM COOL when holding in storage. Do not leave food out on the picnic table, refrigerate immediately.

Follow these safety tips at home also and teach them to your children when they are old enough to help around the kitchen. Try to prepare as much food as you can at home before you go to your cookout so you have the advantage of good refrigeration. Bring only the foods you think you will need.

Also see: Steak and Lobster

About The Author:

Tara Jackson is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-steaks.com. Great tips on buying top quality meats, steaks and seafood from the finest ranchers and butchers.

	Barbecue Season
Food-borne illness potential rises with the temperature