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It’s not always possible to see, taste or smell
dangerous bacteria that may cause illness if food is mishandled.
Bacteria grow and multiply rapidly in the danger zone between 40
degrees F and 140 degrees F. Keep cold foods cold and hot foods
hot. Food transported without an ice source or left out in the
sun at a picnic won't stay safe for long. Guests who eat
mishandled food may suffer the flu-like symptoms caused by
mild food poisoning or worse. Before having a picnic, be sure
to prepare and store food safely, then pack it properly for
traveling.
Try to plan just the right amount of foods to take. That
way, you won't have to worry about the storage or safety of
leftovers.
If there are leftovers, throw them out unless you can
safely keep them chilled until you get home. If there is
still ice in the cooler when you get home, the leftovers
should be okay to eat. When in doubt, throw it out! I hate
to be wasteful, but when it comes to food poisoning, it’s
better to be safe than sorry.
Any leftovers left outside for more than an hour should
be discarded.
Clean preparation is essential. Wash hands and work
areas; be sure all utensils are clean before preparing food.
Foods that are cooked ahead need to be completed in
plenty of time to thoroughly chill in the refrigerator
before getting packed. Use an insulated cooler with
sufficient ice or ice packs to keep the food at 40°F.
Pack food from the refrigerator right into the cooler.
Thermos bottles can keep stews or drinks at the right
temperature for hours. If foods are poured boiling hot into
sterilized bottles, there shouldn't be any problem.
Pack foods in the cooler in the order opposite of how
you’ll be using them. On other words, pack the food you'll
need last at the bottom and so on.
A cooler chest can also be used to keep hot food hot.
Line the cooler with a heavy kitchen towel for extra
insulation and place weel wrapped hot foods inside. It’s
amazing how long the foods will stay not only warm, but hot.
Try to use a cooler that is just the right size to pack
fairly tightly with hot food so less heat escapes.
If you're planning on take--out foods such as fried
chicken or barbecued beef, eat them within two hours of
pick-up or buy ahead of time and chill before packing the
foods into the cooler.
Don't pack coolers in the trunk, carry them inside
the air-conditioned car.
As much as possible, keep cooler in the shade while
at the picnic.
Keep cooler lids closed and avoid unnecessary openings.
It’s a good idea to use a separate cooler for drinks,
so the one containing perishable food won't be constantly
opened and closed. Replenish the ice if it melts.
When preparing chicken, egg, or meat salad, or anything
else using mayonnaise, refrigerate it as soon as possible,
and keep cold right up until packing time. Sometimes, I will
even give these types if item an extra shot cold by placing
in them in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes before packing.
This is just to insure they are extra cold, do not freeze
mayonnaise items, it tends to separate.
When preparing dishes like chicken or cooked meat salads,
use chilled ingredients. In other words, make sure your cooked
chicken has been cooked and chilled before it gets mixed with
other salad ingredients.
When handling raw meat, remove from the cooler only the
amount that will fit on the grill. USDA recommends that you
don't eat raw or undercooked ground beef, since harmful
bacteria could be present.
To be sure bacteria are destroyed, cook hamburgers and
ribs to 160 degrees F (medium doneness) or until the center
is no longer pink and the juices are clear. Cook ground
poultry to 165°F and poultry parts to 180° F.
Reheat precooked meats until steaming hot.
Do not partially grill meat to use later. Once you begin
cooking meat by any method, cook until completely done to
assure that bacteria are destroyed.
When taking foods off the grill, put them on a clean plate,
not the same platter that held raw meat.
Never reuse marinades that have come in contact with raw
meat, chicken or fish, and don't put the cooked food back
into an unwashed container or the dish that contained
the marinade.
Recommended Reading
Joy of Cooking : All About Grilling
by Irma Von Starkloff Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker,
Ethan Becker, Irma S. Rombauer
Artfully styled, brilliant color photographs of glistening
white lobster meat in crimson shells, succulent pork tenderloin
with bright green asparagus, and a plate piled high with fuchsia,
orange, red, and purple onions and peppers may look like a
three-star dining experience, but they are actually
tried-and-true recipes made from
The Joy of Cooking: All About Grilling. Dozens of helpful
tips and techniques, clear, easy-to-follow instructions, and a
rainbow of recipes for everything from seafood and vegetables
to pork, poultry, and beef remind us why we've always loved the
classic charm of The Joy of Cooking.
(courtesy: Amazon.com)
About the Author:
Cheri Sicard is the editor and co-creator of FabulousFoods.com,
a premier net resource for recipes and cooking information.
Let's Get Cooking!
While there are many reasons for teaching kids to cook -- less expensive than eating out, preserves family heritage, etc, the most important
reason is that by teaching your child to cook, you're giving him a better chance to be a healthy grown-up. Enabling your child with the ability
to appreciate freshness and to transform ingredients into tasty foods opens their eyes to making wiser choices about what to eat...
by Cheri Sicard
Recommended Reading
Let's Get Cooking!
