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Barbecue Tips
Tuesday
July 3, 2001
When temperatures soar, barbecues sizzle. But, if you're not careful, cooking outdoors could make you sick. That's because having food outside increases the chances for contamination.
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The Today show's food safety guru Phil Lempert says it's not what you grill, but how you prepare and cook it that will make your barbecue savory and safe!
Grilling gaffe number one is leaving food uncovered and unrefrigerated, an invitation to insects and airborne bacteria. Cover up with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. And if you're taking raw food on the road, always make room for it in the cooler!
Another thing that might make you sick is cross contamination; transferring bacteria among the foods you're cooking. Phil says, "You don't want the spatula that touched raw food touching the cooked food."
Lempert's solution? Constantly clean your spatula or, even better, keep two sets of barbecue utensils.
Once the grub is on the griddle, cooking it to the right temperature is key. Phil says, "You cannot have a barbecue without a meat thermometer, I don't care what you're cooking."
Most food safety problems arise from undercooking. Rare might be delicious but it's also dangerous. Phil says, "What you want to do for meats is you want to bring it up to 160 degrees and poultry at least 170 degrees."
And if you're grilling meat and chicken at the same time, try cooking the chicken in a separate pan. This also cuts down on cross contamination.
But safety doesn't stop once the coals have cooled. Last, but not least, use a clean, fresh plate to transfer food to the table.
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