Keeping food delicious without praising the porcelain gods Published May 31, 2007 By Sean Reiling 319th Medical Group GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Winter is behind us, spring is here and summer is right around the corner. With the arrival of summer, folks are getting their grills ready to cookout! Warm temperatures are also ideal for bacteria and other pathogens to multiply and cause foodborne illness. Use these simple guidelines for grilling food safely. From the store: home first. When shopping for meat and poultry, put them in the shopping cart last, right before checkout. To guard against cross contamination, which can happen when raw meat or poultry juices drip on other foods, put packages of raw meat and poultry into plastic bags. Load meat and poultry into the air-conditioned car--not the trunk--and take the groceries straight home. In the summer, if home is more than a 30-minute drive away, bring a cooler with ice from home and place perishable food in it for the trip. At home, place meat and poultry in the refrigerator immediately. Freeze poultry and ground meat that won't be used in 1 or 2 days; freeze other meat within 4 to 5 days. Defrost safely. Completely thaw meat and poultry before grilling so it cooks more evenly. Use the refrigerator for slow, safe thawing; use the microwave to defrost if the food will be placed immediately on the grill; last preferred method is thaw sealed packages in cold water. Marinating. Some recipes state to marinate meat and poultry for several hours or days, either to tenderize or add flavor. Always marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter. If some of the marinade is to be used as a sauce on the cooked food, reserve a portion of the marinade. Do not put raw meat and poultry in it. Don't re-use the marinade used on raw meat or poultry unless it's boiled first to destroy any bacteria. Pre-cooking. Some people like to cook food partially in the microwave, oven, or stove to reduce grilling time. Pre-cook immediately before grilling to destroy bacteria. Transporting. When carrying food to a picnic site, keep it cold to minimize bacterial growth. If take-out foods such as fried chicken or barbecued beef will be reheated on the grill, and they won't be eaten within two hours of pickup, buy them ahead of time and chill thoroughly. Use an insulated cooler with sufficient ice or ice packs to keep the food at 40° F. Then pack food right from the refrigerator into the cooler immediately before leaving home. Keep cold food cold. Avoid opening the cooler's lid, which lets cold air out and warm air in. Pack beverages in one cooler and perishables in another cooler. Keep everything clean. Be sure there are plenty of clean utensils and platters for separately handling the raw foods and the cooked foods. Do not use the same platter and utensils for raw and cooked meat and poultry. Any bacteria present in raw meat or juices can contaminate the safely cooked meat. This is a prime cause of summer foodborne illness. Pack clean, soapy sponges, cloths and wet towelettes for cleaning surfaces and hands. Cook thoroughly. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often browns very fast on the outside. Use a meat thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe internal temperature. Whole poultry should reach 180° F; breasts, 170° F. Juices should run clear. Hamburgers made of any ground meat or poultry should reach 160° F. Beef, veal and lamb steaks, roasts and chops can be cooked to 145° F. All cuts of pork should reach 160° F. Never partially grill meat or poultry and finish cooking later. Cook food completely to destroy harmful bacteria. When re-heating, take-out foods or fully cooked meats like hot dogs, grill to 165° F, or until steaming hot. Keep hot foods hot! After cooking meat and poultry on the grill -- at home or on a picnic -- keep it hot until served. Keep the cooked meats hot by setting them to the side of the grill rack, not directly over the coals where they would eventually overcook. At home, the cooked meat can be kept hot in a 200° F oven, in a chafing dish or slow cooker, or on a warming tray. After cooking, hold hot food at 140° F or warmer. Handling leftovers. At home, store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer within 2 hours of taking food off the grill. Leftovers that have been off the grill for less than 1 hour can be safely transported home in a cooler -- if there's plenty of ice in it. Discard any food left out more than 2 hours (1 hour in hot weather). Have a Safe & Fun Summer! If you have any questions, contact Public Health 747-5511.