Hot tips to keep food safe

Fire up that grill and bring out the food! It's summertime, and what better time could there be for cooking outdoors? Because warm temperatures can cause bacteria to multiply quickly, we have to be especially careful to make sure we handle foods properly when we are out in the heat. We want to stop foodborne illness before it stops our summer fun. Here are some hot tips to help you grill your foods safely.

Tip 1 - Keep clean! Keeping clean can stop the spread of harmful bacteria or viruses to foods. Wash your hands with soap and warm water at least 20 seconds before handling food and after handling raw products like meats, poultry, fish, seafood and eggs. Use clean utensils. Keep work surfaces clean. Outdoors, this may mean taking along hand-wipes to clean hands and surfaces; and tablecloths, paper towels or foil to cover work areas.

Tip 2 - Keep separate! Raw products may have bacteria on them. Keep raw products away from foods that are ready to be eaten. Have plenty of extra utensils and platters on hand when grilling. Always put cooked foods taken off the grill onto clean plates using clean utensils. If grilled foods are placed back onto platters with raw juices, harmful bacteria may find their way back onto the cooked food. If you are using a marinade or sauce, set aside a portion before placing the raw products into it. Use this portion to brush on the food as it is cooking. If you use this liquid that contained the raw product, you could be adding bacteria back to the cooked food.

Tip 3 - Keep out of the danger zone! Keep foods out of the temperature danger zone between 40 and 140 degrees F. Cold foods should stay cold (at or below 40 degrees F). Frozen meats should be thawed in the refrigerator ahead of time, thawed under cold water or thawed in the microwave oven just before cooking. Don't thaw or marinate foods at room temperature. After preparation and cooking, foods should be served immediately. If not, cool the food quickly (to 40 degrees F or below) or keep the food hot (above 140 degrees F) for serving. For outdoor buffets, put out small batches of each food and replace them often with new batches in clean dishes.

Tip 4 - Keep cooking! Be sure to cook foods until they are thoroughly done. Use a meat thermometer or a stem-type instant read thermometer to check to see when foods have reached a safe degree of doneness. For beef or pork, 160 degrees F is medium; 170 degrees F is well done. Ground beef, whether in patties or a loaf, must reach at least 160 degrees F. When grilling burgers, use a thermometer. If the burger has not reached 160 degrees F, keep cooking! All poultry should reach a minimum of 165 degrees F. For reasons of personal preference, it is still best to cook whole poultry to higher temperatures such as 180 degrees F to remove pink appearance and rubbery texture. Poultry breasts need to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F to be safe. Even if the poultry comes equipped with a "pop-up" temperature indicator, it is important to use a food thermometer to ensure its safety. The color of meat is not an accurate way to tell when a product is done.

Make your summer time a fun time. Let these tips keep your "hot off the grill" foods safe.