| Partnership for Food Safety Education

Hot Off the Grill: Home Grilling Safety Tips

May 11, 2020

Families are doing more grilling this year. Nielsen reported that fresh meat alternative sales increased 255% in the last week of March (compared to the same week in 2019), fully outpacing the growth of meat sales, which increased 53% over the same period.

Fight BAC! is here to help you out with a few essential tips on handling meat safely, and how grilling safely at home can keep you and your family healthy.

Clean hands & surfaces

Washing your hands and surfaces the correct way will help reduce the risk of harmful germs:

Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.
Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and counter tops with hot soapy water after preparing each food item and before you go on to the next food.
Do not rinse raw meat or poultry before cooking it. This is not a safety step, and it could spread dangerous germs around your kitchen.

Thawing meat

You may be buying more meats in bulk right now and freezing for later use. Make sure to thaw meats properly:

Never let raw meat, poultry, eggs, cooked food or cut fresh fruits or vegetables sit at room temperature more than two hours before putting them in the refrigerator or freezer (one hour when the temperature is above 90°F).
Never thaw food at room temperature. Food must be kept at a safe temperature during thawing.
There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately

Marinades

Everyone loves a good marinade! Make sure to safely marinate and store your meat:

Always marinate foods in the refrigerator, not on the counter or outdoors.
Don’t use sauce that was used to marinate raw meat or poultry on cooked food.
Reserve a portion of the unused marinade to use as a sauce.

Grilling temps

When it’s time to grill the food, cook it to a safe internal temperature for safety and quality. Use a food thermometer to be sure!

Beef, pork, veal and lamb (roast, steaks and chops): 145 °F with a three-minute “rest time” after removal from the heat source
Ground meats: 160 °F
Poultry (whole, parts or ground): 165 °F
Eggs and egg dishes: 160 °F, but cook eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm; scrambled eggs should not be runny
Fin fish: 145 °F
Shrimp, lobster and crabs: flesh pearly and opaque
Clams, oysters and mussels: shells open during cooking
Scallops: milky white, opaque and firm

Download the Safe Minimal Internal Temperatures Chart

Avoid cross-contamination

Cross-contamination is how harmful bacteria can be spread. Improper handling of raw meat, poultry or seafood can create an inviting environment for cross-contamination:

Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood.
Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry and seafood.
Be sure to have plenty of clean utensils and platters on hand.

Leftovers

After the meal, remember to handle leftovers safely to prevent foodborne illness:

Plan on enough storage space in the refrigerator and freezer. In the refrigerator, air needs to circulate to keep the temperature at 40 °F or below. Use an appliance thermometer in your refrigerator to monitor the temperature.
Divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quicker cooling in the refrigerator.
Leftovers stored in the refrigerator should be consumed within 3-4 days
Reheat leftovers to 165 °F before eating.

To help you Fight BAC!® (harmful bacteria) this grilling season, we’ve collected five grilling recipes with built-in food safety and hand hygiene steps.

Check out food safety videos on grilling and safe food preparation on the Food Safety YouTube channel.

Have a happy and safe grilling season!

Shawnte Loeri is the Communications Associate with the Partnership for Food Safety Education. She can be reached at sloeri@fightbac.org.

Brilliant Buffets and Party Platters

A popular way to celebrate holidays or any party occasion is to invite friends and family to a buffet. However, this type of food service, where foods may be out for long periods leaves the door open for uninvited guests — bacteria that cause foodborne illness. Here are some tips for a safe and brilliant buffet:

Safe Food Handling
Always wash your hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food. Clean kitchen surfaces, dishes and utensils with hot water and soap. Always serve food on clean plates — never those previously holding raw meat or poultry. Bacteria that may have been present in raw meat or poultry can cross-contaminate the food to be served.

Ready to Cook a Feast
If you are cooking foods ahead of time for your party, be sure to cook foods thoroughly to safe internal temperatures.

Keep Hot Foods HOT And Cold Foods COLD
Hot foods should be held at 140 °F or warmer. On the buffet table you can keep hot foods hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers and warming trays. Cold foods should be held at 40 °F or colder. Keep foods cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice. If you buy party trays at the store, remove lid and fill with ice. Put the tray on the lid for a handy cooling station. Bacteria can also multiply quickly in moist desserts that contain dairy products. Keep eggnog, cheesecakes, cream pies and cakes with whipped-cream or cream-cheese frostings refrigerated until serving time.

Safely Sauced
Some sauces, dressings and even dessert recipes contain uncooked eggs. If your homemade recipes call for uncooked eggs, you can modify them by using pasteurized eggs, pasteurized egg product or cooking the egg mixture on the stovetop to 160 °F. Then follow the recipe’s directions.

The 2-Hour Rule
Foods should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours. Keep track of how long foods have been sitting on the buffet table and discard anything there two hours or more.

Storing the Smorgasbord
Divide cooked foods into shallow containers to store in the refrigerator or freezer until serving. This encourages rapid, even cooling. Reheat foods to 165 °F. Arrange and serve food on several small platters rather than on one large platter. You can prepare extra serving platters and dishes ahead of time, store them in the refrigerator or keep them hot in the oven (set at approximately 200 to 250 °F) prior to serving.

Download a Healthy Guests: Happy Holidays flyer

Lots of People, Lots of Leftovers

When preparing for your special event, remember that there may be an invisible enemy ready to strike. It’s called BAC (foodborne bacteria), and it can make you sick. Lots of people and little time can create opportunities for mishandling and contamination. After the big party, remember to safely handle leftovers to prevent foodborne illness.

Plan Ahead

Make sure you have the right equipment, including cutting boards, utensils, food thermometers, cookware, shallow containers for storage, soap, and paper towels.
Plan on enough storage space in the refrigerator and freezer. In the refrigerator, air needs to circulate to keep the temperature at 40 °F or below. Use an appliance thermometer in your refrigerator to monitor the temperature.

When You Shop

Separate raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs from fruit, vegetables, other foods and cleaning supplies in your grocery shopping cart, grocery bags and in your refrigerator.
Check that fresh cut fruits and vegetables like packaged salads and precut melons are refrigerated at the store before buying. Do not buy fresh cut items that are not refrigerated.
Buy cold foods last. Plan to drive directly home from the grocery store. You may want to take a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs for perishables. Always refrigerate perishable food within two hours. Refrigerate within one hour when the temperature is above 90 °F.
Avoid canned goods that are dented, leaking, bulging or rusted. These are the warning signs that dangerous bacteria may be growing in the can.

Working in the Kitchen

Make sure that anyone who helps in the kitchen knows the basic food safety rules—clean, separate, cook and chill.
Encourage everyone to wash his or her hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.
Sponges and kitchen towels can easily soak up bacteria and cross-contaminate kitchen surfaces and hands. When a crowd is over and food preparation gets hectic, it can be safer to use paper towels.
Try to keep the refrigerator door closed as much as possible to keep it safely at 40 °F or below.

Lovely Leftovers

Throw away all perishable foods, such as meat, poultry, eggs and casseroles, left at room temperature longer than two hours; one hour in air temperatures above 90 °F. This also includes leftovers taken home from a restaurant. Some exceptions to this rule are foods such as cookies, crackers, bread and whole fruits.
Whole roasts, hams and turkeys should be sliced or cut into smaller pieces or portions before storing them in the refrigerator or freezer.
Refrigerate or freeze leftovers in shallow containers. Wrap or cover the food. Leftovers stored in the refrigerator should be consumed within 3-4 days, and leftovers should be heated to 165°F prior to consumption.
Foods stored longer may become unsafe to eat and cause foodborne illness. Do not taste leftovers that appear to be safe, bacteria that cause illness does not affect the taste, smell, or appearance of food.
Frozen storage times are much longer, but some items such as salads made with mayonnaise do not freeze well. Foods kept frozen longer than recommended storage times are safe to eat, but may be drier and not taste as good.
WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT!

Take-Out Sanity

Busy, busy, busy. Multi-tasking Americans have a love affair with take-out foods, heat and eat entrees and other meal items they can pick up at a restaurant or grocery store on their way home.

Some foods are hot and some are cold when purchased. Sometimes you eat these foods right away, but other times you buy take-out foods in advance. Many of these perishable foods can cause illness if not handled safely on the trip home or in home preparation and reheating. Proper handling of these foods and any leftovers is essential to reduce your family’s risk of foodborne illness.

Always start with clean hands – wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.

Keep it Hot — The 2-Hour Rule

Never let hot prepared foods sit – in your car or on the counter – for more than two hours without refrigerating them.
If you don’t plan on eating the food immediately you have two choices: You can hold it hot in a preheated oven or preheated warming tray, at an internal temperature of 140 °F or above (use a thermometer to check the temperature); or you can put it in the refrigerator and plan to reheat it to a temperature of 165 °F just before serving

Chill it – Cold Food Know-How

Cold foods should be kept at 40 °F or below.
Refrigerate perishable foods as soon as possible, always within two hours after purchase or delivery. If you’re someplace that’s 90 °F or hotter (including in your car), make that one hour.
When take-out or prepared food is purchased cold for an outdoor event—like a picnic, sporting event or outdoor buffet—a cooler well packed with ice or frozen gel packs is a practical alternative to a refrigerator. Keep the cooler in the shade. After food comes out of the cooler, remember the two-hour rule: Discard all perishable foods that have been left at outside temperatures longer than two hours; one hour in temperatures above 90°F.

Reheating Right

Reheat foods containing meat or poultry to an internal temperature of 165 °F. Always use a food thermometer.
Reheat sauces, soups, and gravies to a boil.
If reheating in the oven, set oven temperature no lower than 325 °F.
Reheating in slow cookers and chafing dishes is NOT recommended because foods may stay in the “Danger Zone” (between 40 and 140 °F) too long.
When reheating food in the microwave oven, cover and rotate food for even heating. Consult your microwave oven owner’s manual for recommended times and power levels.

Think Before You Thaw

Many people are making home cooked meals to freeze for convenience, while others are freezing leftovers for later. Although the freezer inhibits bacterial growth, food can become contaminated both before and after freezing. Remember the basic food safety rules—clean, separate, cook and chill when preparing meals and handling leftovers.

Thaw foods following these tips to reduce your risk of foodborne illness.
Thaw the wrapped, cooked meat or poultry on a tray in the refrigerator. Allow about 24 hours for every 5 pounds. Small packages of cooked stuffing, gravy, potatoes, etc., will take less time to thaw.
Once the cooked meat or poultry and side dishes thaw, plan to eat them within three to four days.
Food should be heated to a safe internal temperature.
Frozen food can be put directly into the oven without thawing, but will require a longer cooking time.

Ready-to-Eat vs. Not Ready-to-Eat

Use care when cooking up foods from the freezer, deli, or refrigerated sections of the grocery store. Not ready-to-eat products (NRTE) are identified as “raw” and require the consumer to cook thoroughly in order to be safe for consumption. Examples of these types of foods include frozen food entrees (pizzas, pot pies, TV dinners, etc.) and marinated, stuffed and/or breaded poultry, fish or meat. Foods that might appear to be fully prepared can still be classified as not ready-to-eat. Read and follow label instructions. Use a food thermometer to ensure food reaches a safe internal temperature.

Ready-to-eat foods include those foods that can be eaten straight from the packaging if held at the correct temperature. Ready-to-eat foods include cooked and prepared items from the deli, as well as canned meats. Be sure to hold ready-to-eat products at the correct temperature as some require refrigeration.