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Summer Food Safety
Summer is about fun in the sun, but it’s important to be smart about food safety. Warm weather is the ideal breeding ground for bacteria — an unwanted guest at any cookout or picnic. Here’s what you need to know.
Pack it Safe
Although traditional picnic baskets are pretty, they often aren’t practical for transporting food safely. Instead, they can be used to carry nonperishable items such as plates, utensils and napkins. When packing food, keep hot foods hot (above 140˚F) and cold foods cold (below 40˚F). Pack steaming hot foods in insulated containers. Pack cold foods directly from the refrigerator or freezer into a cooler filled with ice or frozen gel packs. If you’re transporting uncooked meat or fish, put it in a sealed heavy-duty plastic bag before placing it on ice in the cooler so that raw juices can’t drip on other foods. And remember, keep the cooler in the air-conditioned car rather than in the trunk. Once you reach your destination, be sure to put the cooler in the shade.
Keep it Clean
This goes for your hands and the prep area. One of the easiest ways to prevent food-borne illness is hand washing. Hands should be washed with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat or seafood. If water is not available, use pre-moistened antibacterial towelettes or hand sanitizer. As far as the prep area is concerned, never use the same utensils or platters that held raw meat and fish to hold the food after it’s cooked.
Cook it Right
If you marinate meat or fish, don’t reuse the marinade on cooked food or as a dipping sauce. Instead, prepare double the amount of marinade, and set aside half to serve with the finished dish.
Using a meat thermometer is the best way to know when foods have reached a safe temperature. Judging doneness by color alone is not enough. Inexpensive instant-read thermometers are widely available, and take the guesswork out of figuring out when food is safely cooked. The USDA recommends that ground beef or any pork be cooked to 160˚F. Ground poultry and poultry breasts should be cooked to at least 165˚F. (Some people prefer the texture of poultry even better when it is cooked to 170˚F.) Steaks and fish should be cooked to at least 145˚F.
Store it Fast
Place all perishable leftovers, such as meats and mayonnaise-based salads, back on ice. On a hot summer day, when temperatures rise above 90˚F, these foods should not sit out more than one hour.
Got a summer food safety question? Call the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline toll free at 1-888-674-6854. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST.
Citrus-Marinated Monkfish
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
1/4 cup bottled orange juice
2 tbsp. bottled lemon juice
2 tbsp. bottled lime juice
1 tbsp. ShopRite vegetable oil
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
4 (4-oz.) monkfish fillets
Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat grill to medium-high.
To prepare marinade, whisk together orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, oil, basil, salt and pepper in medium bowl.
Place monkfish in a large glass dish. Pour marinade over monkfish and turn to coat.
Grill fish, covered with grill lid, 5 to 7 minutes or until fish is opaque.
In large bowl combine bulgur and 1 cup boiling water. Cover and let stand 30 minutes or until water is absorbed. Add remaining ingredients; stir well. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
