Summer is here! The warm weather beckons us all outside to enjoy as much sunshine as possible. Eating outside in the backyard or taking a picnic to the lake are great ways to appreciate the season. However, be sure you are taking the necessary steps to keep your food from spoiling in the heat. No one wants to end up with an upset stomach simply because you left the potato salad out in the sun or let the brats sit in the car while you strolled around the lake before dinner. Follow these food safety tips and make sure you and your friends and family are safe while you savor eating outside this summer.
To keep foods cold during a cookout:
Summer spreads often feature cold dishes that help you keep you and the house cool during the heat. Pasta salads, protein-packed leafy green salads, and cold cut sandwiches often line the table or picnic blanket during a summer gathering. Perishable foods, like meat, dairy, and eggs, are dangerous when stored in temperatures from 41 – 135 degrees Fahrenheit. These foods become bacteria breeding grounds unless properly chilled. Keep these dishes at 40 degrees or colder to prevent bacteria from taking over the gathering.
Here are a few tips and strategies to keep those perishable foods properly chilled:
- Using a bowl or pan that is larger than the food’s serving dish, fill with ice and nestle the serving dish on top of the ice. Using a serving bowl or pan with tall sides will allow the serving dish to be set deeper into the ice and maintain the cold temperature longer.
- Use a cooler to keep food cold, ensuring there is enough room to hold adequate ice or ice packs with the food keeping the cooler closed as much as possible. If storing food for a longer period, wrap food in smaller portions to only serve what is needed and keep the remaining food cold. If necessary, have an extra cooler with ice or ice packs for food/drinks that will be opened more often.
- If you do not have the ability to provide temperature control for cold food during a cookout, cold food can be kept at ambient temperature for up to six hours if the food is 40°F or lower when being removed from temperature control and if it does not exceed 70°F during service. Check the food’s temperature every hour to ensure it has not exceeded 70°F. If the food has a temperature of 70°F or higher, then throw it out. Mark the time the food is removed from temperature control, so you can determine when it should be discarded. After six hours, discard any leftover food.
To keep foods hot during a cookout:
If you are grilling in the backyard or at the park, you may need to keep your food hot during the summer gathering. As food cools and enters the danger zone (41-135°F), you again risk bacteria growth that can make you or your guests ill. If you will be outside for quite a while or if you will not be eating immediately after cooking the food, please follow these food safety tips.
- Use a chafing pan with fuel cans to keep food hot. You will need a flat surface for the chafing dish and fuel can. Most chafing dishes need about 2 inches of water to keep the food hot during the gathering. If you begin with room temperature water, you will need to allow for time for the fuel can to heat the water in the chafing dish before placing the food dish inside.
- Create a portable hot box using preheated bricks. Wrap clean bricks with aluminum foil and heat in the oven on 350-400 degrees until hot. Line a large cooler with clean towels, place hot bricks carefully in the bottom of the cooler, but on top of the towels. Place hot food (food should already be 135°F or higher) on top of bricks and continue to wrap the towel(s) in the cooler around the food to provide insulation on all sides of the food.
- If you do not have the ability to provide temperature control for hot food during a cookout, hot food can be kept at ambient temperatures for up to four hours if the food is 135°F or higher when being removed from temperature control. Mark the time the food is removed from temperature control, so you can determine when it should be discarded. After four hours, discard any leftover food.
Anyone who has woken up in the middle of the night to an upset stomach knows that taking a few precautions to keep food safe is worth the added effort. Bacteria can double in just 20 minutes in the danger zone. These food safety tips will keep your summer gathering fun and pleasant without the risk of food-borne illnesses
References:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/temperature-danger-zone#what-is-it
https://www.katom.com/learning-center/how-to-use-a-chafing-dish.html
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