Get Ready for Some Food Safety Tips!
Food safety tips when preparing food at home before your picnic or barbecue:
- Before preparing any food item, always wash hands and work areas carefully and completely.
- Cook the foods you will be taking on your picnic or barbecue early enough so that they have time to thoroughly chill in the refrigerator.
- Chill them in shallow containers. That way they will cool faster.
- Take the food straight from your refrigerator to the coolers.
Coolers:
- Have your coolers packed with ice or frozen gel packs. You want to store your perishable foods such as meat, fish, poultry, salads and eggs in the coolers.
- Pack raw meats, fish or poultry on the bottom of the cooler so their juices do not drip on other foods.
- Use a separate cooler for drinks. That way, you will not continue to open the cooler that contains your food. The temperature will stay colder in the cooler.
- A full cooler will stay cold longer that a partially full one.
- The best possible temperature to keep the coolers is 40 degrees F.
- It is good to carry the coolers in the inside of your car where it is air conditioned. The trunk is not air conditioned. If you have an SUV, it is obvious you can carry it anywhere inside.
- When you arrive at your picnic or barbecue, keep your coolers in the shade and as the ice melts, replace it.
Water for Cleaning and Drinking:
- If you are not sure the water is safe to drink where your picnic or barbecue is being held, bring water with you. You will need it for preparation and cleaning. Disposable cloths or moist towelettes and paper towels are good for cleaning hands and surfaces.
Grilling:
- Do not partially grill any poultry or meat to use later. It should be cooked completely to assure that all the bacteria has been killed.
- When you take the food off the grill, do not put it on the same plate you previously had placed raw meat and/or chicken unless you have washed the plate between the raw and cooked items.
Food Safety Tips for Leftovers:
- Any takeout food such as fried chicken, should be eaten within one hour from the time of pickup.
- Remember the two hour rule. Do not leave perishable food un-refrigerated for longer than two hours. Instead, put the perishable food back in the cold coolers when you are finished eating.
- If there is any chance that your leftovers have been sitting out for more than two hours, disregard them.
- If the ice has melted in the cooler and the cooler is warm, the food in it should be disgarded.
We hope these food safety tips help you to have a safe summer.
Get Ready For Some Food Safety Tips! to Home Page
Make Somebody Happy
If you're over sad,
There's something you can do,
Just make somebody happy,
And you'll be happy too.
Author Unknown
|
|
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Technorati
Y! MyWeb