8 TIPS FOR SAFE COOKOUTS

Check out these tips from the U.S. Department of Agriculture before you fire up the grill. Following proper guidelines will help keep your summer cookouts and picnics safe and tasty.

1. Buy cold food last when shopping. Keep raw meat and poultry separate from other groceries. Refrigerate perishable food within two hours - or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees.

2. Thaw meat completely before grilling so it cooks evenly. Thaw slowly in the fridge or use microwave defrost to thaw food that's going right on the grill.

3. Marinate food in the fridge, not on the kitchen counter. Poultry and cubed meat or stew meat can be marinated up to 2 days. Beef, veal, pork, and lanb roasts, chops, and steaks may be marinated up to 5 days. Don't reuse marinade from raw meat unless it is boiled to destroy bacteria.

4. Keep food cold when transporting it. Pack it right from fridge to insulated cooler with ice/ice packs just before you leave home. Keep the cooler out of the sun and avoid opening the lid too often. Pack beverages in one cooler and food in a separate one.

5. Don't use the same platter/utensils for raw meat and cooked meat.

6. Reduce grilling time by pre-cooking food partially in a microwave, oven or stove. Make sure the food goes immediately from the kitchen to the grill.

7. Use a food thermometer to make sure meat on the grill reaches a safe minimum internal temperature. NEVER partially grill meat or poultry and finish cooking it later.

8. In weather 90 degrees or warmer, food should never sit out for more than an hour.

source: http://www.salisbury.patch.com/