In spring and summer, naturally, it’s time for outdoor fun, backyard get-togethers and barbecued foods.
But that fun can later turn to misery (or worse) if party-goers eat foods contaminated with food-borne bacteria. Such sicknesses are much more common than supposed. Often, those who enjoy barbecued foods come down later with stomach upsets or flu-like symptoms and brush them off as just another routine bug.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 48 million people suffer from food-borne illnesses each year, resulting in 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.
Such food-borne illnesses are more common in summer because people outside at a party are often very casual about foods, taking them off the grill before they are fully cooked or leaving such fixings as potato salad in the warmth too long, causing a rapid increase in pathogens.
So, what is the best protection against you, your family or guests getting deathly sick?
In a word, a food thermometer. By inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of what you are cooking you can quickly know if it’s cooked thoroughly. Other methods of testing for doneness, such as slicing into the meat, are unreliable.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Drug Administration, only about one-third of people use a food thermometer when cooking the ever-popular hamburgers or other meats.
Here are some USDA tips for avoiding the miseries of food-borne illnesses:
Pre-cooking:
- Wash hands and surfaces with soapy warm water for 20 seconds before cooking and after handling raw meat or poultry. If cooking outdoors, have ready some clean cloths or moist towelettes to clean surfaces as you cook.
- When taking foods off the grill, always use clean utensils and platters. Never put food or utensils on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry.
- During prep time, never prepare other foods on the cutting boards or counter where you have prepared the meat unless it has been thoroughly cleansed with hot soapy water and then rinsed well.
- If children help prepare the meal, supervise them closely for cleanliness.
Thermometer readings:
- The internal temperature of hamburgers, sausages or other ground meats should reach at least 160 degrees.
- All poultry should reach 165 degrees or higher.
- Cuts of pork, lamb, veal, beef or fish should reach 145 degrees at least.
- Meat should be eaten as soon as possible after it has been grilled.
- If you have no thermometer, it’s better to slightly overcook all meats to the point where, when poked, all juices run clear.
Post-meal:
- Place leftovers in containers and refrigerate or freeze immediately.
- Toss out any food that has been sitting out longer than two hours.
The best way to summarize and to remember those tips is to remind yourself to treat all meats as if they are dangerous while you are handling them. Once cooked to the proper temperature or higher, no problem.
The most important first step to food safety is to buy a good food thermometer. Most of them are not expensive.
We wish you a safe and happy barbecue season.
