 |
America's
Worst Breakfast Foods
By David Zinczenko, with Matt
Goulding
It’s hard to overestimate the
importance of eating breakfast. Studies show that people who take time
for a morning meal consume fewer calories over the course of the day...
More»
5
Essential Weight Loss Foods
By Dr. MaoShing Ni
There are many fad diets that promise
to help you lose weight in almost no time at all. After two or three
weeks on the diet you find yourself... More»
Bad
Foods that are Actually Great for Your Waist
By Camille Noe Pagán
If you've been avoiding burgers, ice cream,
and pizza thinking you're doing your waistline a favor, don't. They
can actually help you lose weight -- and keep it off, too. More»
See
All»
|
|
|
Top 10 Grilling Food Safety Tips
Use these simple guidelines for grilling food safely to prevent
harmful bacteria and foodborne illness.
1. Keep it Cold from the Store
to Home
-
At the store, pick-up
your cold food like meat and poultry last and right before
checkout.
-
Separate raw meat and
poultry from other food in your shopping cart.
-
To guard against cross-contamination
(which can happen when raw meat or poultry juices drip on
other food) put packages of raw meat and poultry into plastic
bags.
-
Try to drive directly
home from the grocery store.
-
Consider taking a cooler
with ice for perishables.
-
Always refrigerate perishable
food within two hours. (Refrigerate within one hour when the
temperature is above 90°F.
-
Place meat and poultry
in the refrigerator immediately.Freeze poultry and ground
meat that won't be used in one or two days.
-
Completely defrost meat
and poultry before grilling so it cooks more evenly.
-
Use the refrigerator for
slow, safe thawing or thaw sealed packages in cold water.
-
You can microwave defrost
if the food will be placed immediately on the grill.
-
Meat and poultry can be
marinated for several hours or days.
-
Marinate food in the refrigerator,
not on the counter.
-
If you want to use some
marinade as a sauce on cooked food, reserve a portion of the
marinade before putting raw meat and poultry in it. If the
marinade used on raw meat or poultry is to be reused, make
sure to let it come to a boil first.
4. Bringing Food to Another
Location
-
Keep meat and poultry
refrigerated until ready to use.
-
Only take out the meat
and poultry that will immediately be placed on the grill.
-
When using a cooler,
keep it out of the direct sun.
-
Avoid opening the lid
too often, which lets cold air out and warm air in.
-
Pack beverages in one
cooler and perishables in another.
-
Be sure there are plenty
of clean utensils and platters.
-
Don't use the same platter
and utensils for raw and cooked food.
-
If you're eating away
from home, find a source of clean water. If there is not one,
bring water for preparation and cleaning. Pack clean cloths,
and wet towelettes for cleaning surfaces and hands.
-
Cook food to a safe internal
temperature to destroy harmful bacteria.
-
Use a food thermometer
to be sure the food has reached a safe internal temperature.
-
Whole poultry should
reach 180°F; breasts, 170°F.
-
Hamburgers made of
ground beef should reach 160°F.
-
Ground poultry, 165°F.
-
Beef, veal, and lamb
steaks, roasts and chops can be cooked to at least 145°F.
-
All cuts of pork should
reach 160°F.
-
Never
partially grill meat or poultry and finish cooking later.
Harmful bacteria will grow between the time you start and
finish cooking, even if you refrigerate the food in between.
-
If precooking food partially
in the microwave, oven, or stove, make sure the food goes
immediately on the preheated grill to complete cooking.
-
After cooking meat and
poultry on the grill, keep it hot until served - at 140°F
or warmer.
-
Keep cooked meats hot
by setting them to the side of the grill rack, not directly
over the coals where they could overcook.
-
At home, the cooked meat
can be kept hot in a warm oven (approximately 200°F),
in a chafing dish or slow cooker, or on a warming tray.
-
When taking food off
the grill, use a clean platter.
-
Don't put cooked food
on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry.
-
In hot weather (above
90°F), food should never sit out for more than one hour.
10. Leftovers & Reheating
-
Refrigerate any leftovers
promptly in shallow containers.
-
When reheating fully
cooked meats like hot dogs, grill to 165°F or until steaming
hot.
-
Discard any food left
out more than two hours (one hour if temperatures are above
90°F).
Sources: The U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission (CPSC); Food Safety and Inspection Service,
United States Department of Agriculture; Cooperative Extension
of Seminole County, Florida.
|
|
|
