Beat Bacteria While Having Summer Fun

[Guest guest]

Beat bacteria while having summer fun

by LYNN F. LITTLE

The number of food-borne illnesses increases during the summer. Bacteria

love the hot, humid days of summer and grow faster then than at any other

time of the year. At the same time temperatures rise, we're more likely to

leave food unrefrigerated for longer time periods.

Food sits out at picnics, barbecues and during travel. Washing facilities

and thermostat-controlled cooking appliances often are not available at

picnic sites. People may leave their food thermometer in their kitchen when

cooking outdoors. You can beat bacteria this summer with these tips, tools

and travel-safe foods:

Keep perishable foods cool by transporting them to a picnic site in an

insulated cooler kept cold with ice or frozen gel packs. Perishable foods

include meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, pasta, rice, cooked

vegetables, and fresh, peeled or cut fruits and vegetables.

Pack the cooler immediately before leaving home with foods that have been

kept chilled in the refrigerator.Zip locked bags are great for this, and are

inexpensive to just throw away. Besure veggies and fruits are not

contaminated by raw meat drippings. You may wish to double bag them.

Avoid frequently opening the cooler containing perishable food. Pack

beverages in one cooler and perishables in another. Be sure to also pack a

separate container of ice to be used to cool beverages. Ice used for food

storage can contain bacteria that will cross-contaminate beverages.By

filling a zip lock bag with water, laying flat to freeze, you can make easy ice

bags

to lay over meats. I also do ice blocks at home, they hold the coolness

longer. I also freeze meat that is not to be used that day. It acts like ice

to

keep things cool longer.

Keep the cooler in an air-conditioned vehicle for transporting and then keep

in the shade or shelter at the picnic site. To avoid frequently opening the

cooler, open it once to remove only the amount of food that will be eaten

immediately. Keep raw meat, poultry and seafood wrapped separately from

cooked foods and foods meant to be eaten raw (such as fruits and

vegetables).

When the temperature is above 90 degrees, the time perishable food can be

left unrefrigerated drops from two hours to one hour. Throw away any

perishable leftovers that have been kept out beyond the recommended time.

Don't let a favorite homemade ice cream made with raw eggs cramp your style

with a possible foodborne illness. Substitute an egg-based ice cream recipe

made from a cooked, stirred custard. Visit the American Egg Board at

www.AEB.org for an egg-safe frozen custard recipe.

Poking and stabbing meat with a fork or knife when placing or turning meat

on the grill can cause a loss of juices that keep meat moist and tender.

Piercing meat also can affect food safety. Bacteria normally are found only

on the external surface of larger cuts of meat such as beef steaks. Steaks

are safe if cooked to 145 degrees (160 degrees for ground meat), since the

outside will reach a temperature high enough to kill these surface bacteria.

However, if a steak is poked with a fork or knife, these bacteria can be

pushed into the steak. Then the steak must be cooked to 160 degrees - the

same as hamburger.

Use long-handled tongs to handle meat on the grill. Use a separate set of

tongs for removing cooked meat, poultry and seafood from the grill. Or let

the tongs heat enough in the fire to kill any bacteria picked up by the raw

meat.

Avoid cross-contamination. Place cooked meat, poultry and seafood on a clean

plate, rather than the plate on which it was carried to the grill.

Rather than worry about keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold, limit the

number of perishable foods on your menu, especially if you'll be at a picnic

site for several hours. For example, serve potato chips instead of potato

salad, washed whole fruit instead of fruit salad, and cookies or brownies

instead of a perishable cream-filled pie.

Unwashed hands are a prime cause of food-borne illness. Whenever possible,

wash your hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds before handling food.

When eating away from home, pack disposable towelettes or antibacterial hand

sanitizer if no facilities are available to wash hands.

Though only the inside of a melon is eaten, the outer rind still must be

washed. Bacteria present in the soil can contaminate the skin of the melon.

When the melon is cut, these bacteria are transferred to the part we eat and

can grow to levels that cause foodborne illness. Wash the surface of melons

thoroughly under clean, running water before eating them.Recommended for

watermellon as well as other mellons like cantalope and honeydew.

Cut melons on a clean cutting surface, using a clean knife. If facilities

for cleaning melons aren't available at the picnic site, wash and slice

melons before leaving home. Transport them to the site in an insulated

cooler kept cold with ice or freezer gel packs. Remove from the cooler just

before serving them.