Not keeping that food properly chilled can end your picnic at the ER

Picnics, outdoor grilling and packing up the cooler for a fun trip to the beach can be some of the best joys of summer.

But if you’re not careful, these outings can turn into a trip to find the nearest urgent care or ER.

When the temperature rises, it’s time to take extra precautions with the food we eat and serve our friends and family.

These may be the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, but when it comes to taking food outdoors, you can’t be the least bit lazy about how you store and prepare it!

A hot mess
The USDA calls it the “Danger Zone.”

That’s when food is at a temperature between 40 and 140 degrees. And at those temperatures bacteria counts can double in just 20 minutes.

So those cold cut sandwiches or containers of potato salad and cole slaw that you packed in a hurry better be eaten fast, too! The rule of thumb according to food safety experts is that when the temps are above 90, food shouldn’t be kept out more than one hour — two hours if it’s below 90 degrees.

And if you’re planning an outdoor get-together and grilling burgers, salmon or chicken, it’s best to keep it all in the refrigerator right up until you’re ready to put it on the grill. If you’re thawing any of those foods, be sure to do so in the fridge and until they’re completely de-thawed.

Leaving frozen spots — no matter how small — in the middle of meat, chicken or fish can set the stage for food poisoning as that frozen part may not reach the proper temperature during cooking.

But perhaps the easiest way to slip up with food in the summer months is when you pack it up to be eaten elsewhere. So make sure you follow these tips depending on what you’re bringing along:

• Divide it up: Don’t just pack one gigantic cooler full of everything you’ll be bringing. If your bounty includes both raw meats to cook on location and ready-to-eat foods, such as salads, keep them separated. A drop of liquid from raw meat can be enough to contaminate other foods.
• Keep it cold: There should be no such temperature as “tepid” when it comes to food. As I said, the Danger Zone is above 40 degrees, an easy temp to reach when it’s hot outside. So pack your picnic items with ice, and if food will be kept in a cooler for a longer period of time, put in a refrigerator thermometer so you can keep track of temperatures.
• Keep beverages together: People will be reaching for drinks more often than food, opening and closing the cooler and letting precious cold air out and warm air in. So pack your drinks up all by themselves.
• Keep it shut: You know that refrigerator stare, where a family member, typically a teenager, stands in from of an open fridge door wondering what there is to eat? Well, don’t let that happen with your picnic cooler. Carefully packed and chilled sandwiches and side dishes can be easily ruined when the gang starts rummaging around and leaves the lid open too long. If you’ve packed a lot of different foods, one idea might be to jot down what’s in there and where’s it’s located.

Also, remember that uneaten foods should be put back in the cooler within an hour.

If you’re not sure about how long something has been out, or don’t like the way it looks, the oldest and best advice still stands: When in doubt, throw it out!

Sources:
“Don’t let foodborne pathogens poison summer celebrations” July 4, 2016, Food Safety News, foodsafetynews.com