Come and Get It! Five Tips to Make Your Summer Cookout A Healthy Success -
MODESTO – When you're standing around the grill wearing your best “kiss the cook” apron, the last thing you're probably thinking about is food safety. Grilling can be fun, healthy, and easy, if you’re sure to follow five simple tips.
“Bacteria like E. coli grow fast in hot summer days,” said Sandy Cadra, registered dietitian at Sutter Gould Medical Foundation’s Community Health Education department. “When serving foods outdoors in hot weather, remember the rule to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold to avoid food borne illnesses.”
Here are five steps to a safe cookout.
1. Start With a Clean Grill. And heat your BBQ before placing any food on the rack. To avoid cross-contamination, cook veggies first, then meat.
2. Thaw Thoroughly. Defrost meat fully before you grill it. Frozen meat can stay cold on the inside, even though it gets charred on the outside.
3. Keep Food Separate. Use one plate to carry raw meat to the grill and a different plate to carry cooked meat to the table. This keeps juice from raw meat, which may be contaminated, away from the food you’re ready to eat.
4. Do a Temperature Check. To minimize the risk for E. coli and other bacteria, cook all meat thoroughly.
5. Chill Out. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within 1 ½ hours to prevent food poisoning. Discard food left out any longer.
About Sutter Gould Medical Foundation
Sutter Gould Medical Foundation operates care centers throughout San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties for the 185 providers of Gould Medical Group- one of the Central Valley’s premier physician groups that has provided care to area residents for nearly 60 years.
Additionally, the Maino Community Health Library is a service of Sutter Gould Medical Foundation that is open to all members of the community. The Health Education department offers many free and low fee classes covering topics in nutrition, healthy living and disease prevention and management. For more information, contact the Maino Community Health Library at (209) 523-0732 or the Health Education department at (209) 548-7860 or visit www.suttergould.org.
About Sutter Health
Sutter Health is a family of not-for-profit hospitals, physician organizations and other medical services that share resources and expertise to advance health care quality. Serving more than 100 communities in Northern California, Sutter Health is a regional leader in cardiac care, cancer treatment, orthopedics, obstetrics, and newborn intensive care, and is a pioneer in advanced patient safety technology. For more information, visit www.sutterhealth.org.
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