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Celebrate this Independence Day by not getting sick with food poisoning. Follow these steps to keep you, your family, and your guest from getting sick
REMEMBER TO WASH YOUR HANDS!
Healthy food comes from healthy hands. Germs such as norovirus or Salmonelle E. Coli 0157 can get onto peoples hand after using the restroom or handling raw meat. A single gram of human feces can contain one trillion germs. Handwashing can prevent 30% od diarrhea-related sickness and about 20% of respiratory infections.
DO NOT CROSS-CONTAMINATE! Never reuse marinade used on raw meat or poultry unless you boil it first to destroy any harmful bacteria. Remember to always marinate food in the refrigerator and never on the counter. Use separate utensils, or clean in between when putting meat on the grill, flipping, and plating.
COOK FOOD THOROUGHLY! Cook food to a safe minimum internal temperature to destroy harmful bacteria. Meats can be charred and burned but still unsafe to eat if it hasn't reach the minimum internal temperature. Smoking cooks food indirectly in the presence of a fire. Smoking is done much slower than grilling which is why it's important to maintain the temperature at 250 to 300F.
KEEP COLD FOODS COLD! When grilling, remember to keep your meats refrigerated until they're ready to be use. Only take out what you need to grill and keep your meats cool. If you're storing food in a cooler, remember to keep it in a shaded place and away from direct sunlight. Keep cold food at or below 40F and no longer than 2 hours at room temperatures.
For more information around Grilling food safety, call our office or visit these great resources:
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