6 tips to serve super safe food at your next summer cook out!

Summers are the best time for all of us to enjoy outdoors. During this time of the year, it is not just us but there are various other microorganisms as well that feels lively and active. Read on to know about the tips to save your food from getting spoilt while hosting any summertime outdoor event.

Any time, other than winters, can be a good time to host an outdoor event, like a picnic or a small barbeque gathering. While winters are pretty troublesome for day to day living, it sure makes life easy when it comes to keeping the food safe to consume. Active microorganisms can deter the joy of outdoor eating as the chances of food poisoning and food contamination are pretty high during summers. Here are the tips to help you serve “safe to eat food” for an outdoor event during the summer season.

While shopping for grocery. Check the date of packaging and color of meats and poultry while shopping during the summer season. Raw meats should be placed in a clean plastic bag and store them separately from other goods that you have shopped for.

While traveling back home. Pick up the grocery/ meats in the end, so that you can leave for home right after you buy this stuff. Try to keep the meats in the cooler part of your vehicle or use an ice box while getting the meats home.

In the kitchen. Put frozen meats in the refrigerator a day in advance to thaw them well. Cover and refrigerate the meats while marinating and discard the leftover marinade. Make sure you clean all the utensils and counter tops that were in contact with the raw meat.

While packing food. If the event is far from home, keep raw meats in a separate cold storage box. Do not place other cold items such as beverages or fruits along with the meats. Use a different set of utensils for raw and cooked stock of meat. Do not forget to pack soap to clean your hands before and after handling food as hand sanitizers are not as effective.

When cooking food. Use a thermometer to ensure meats are thoroughly cooked to kill all the bacteria. Cook the food in small batches as once the food is cooked it should not stay exposed for more than one hour. Store additional perishable stuff in the cold storage box until it is ready to be used.

If you have leftovers. Properly discard all the perishable leftovers, either cooked or uncooked, that has been kept out of the cold storage box for more than an hour. Store all the perishable items that are remaining in the cold storage box back in to the freezer once you reach home.