Tips for a germ-free cookout
Categories: Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
It's already well into July, and I'm sad to say that the number of cookouts I've been to seems unusually low. One here, one there -- but not too many. Could it be that no one wants to bake in the sun? Or that everyone is "at that age" where other obligations must come first? Or is it that people just aren't feeling the cookout scene as much these days? I'm sure it doesn't help that there's still been no conclusive determination made on the recent E. coli outbreak. Is it tomatoes? Is it cilantro? Is it hot peppers? No one seems to know for sure, which may explain why people seem a bit hesitant to take too many chances with their food. A smart move, too, since an estimated 76 million Americans suffer from food poisoning each year. And, as you might expect, most of these cases take place in the summer, when the rising temperature creates a party of its own for harmful bacteria.
But if you're determined to keep the summer cookout alive and well (and hope for the same for your guests), make sure you're doing what you can to keep your food safe. Self magazine offers the following tips:
- Marinade your meats in the fridge instead of the countertop, where bacteria can grow.
- Use a meat thermometer to determine if a food is properly cooked, because color isn't always a reliable indicator. 145 degrees for steaks, 160 degrees for burgers, and 165 degrees for chicken.
- Don't place other food on plates that held raw meat, poultry, or seafood. Also be sure to use clean utensils every time.
- Clean your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling raw meat or poultry, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to kill germs.
- Store meat, poultry, eggs, cooked foods, fruits and vegetables, dressings, condiments -- basically, almost everything -- into a cooler as soon as possible to keep it safe.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
eckre 7-09-2008 @ 5:46PM
Do you know anything about Germ Theory? Read about it.
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dr stu 7-10-2008 @ 9:40AM
Self Magazine is out of date when they recommend alcohol-based hand sanitizers within the context of food preparation.
1. Obviously, Self Magazine is no position to make a recommendation about health care related products, and they are merely regurgitating statements they've found from other sources.
2. Within the context of federal food preparation guidelines, alcohol-based sanitizers are often prohibited.
3. Recommending washing with soap and water, and thereafter applying alcohol to the hands is pretty bizarre. Presuming the hand washing is comprehensive, and using non-antimicrobial soap, applying alcohol thereafter accomplishes little more than destroying protective skin cells and increasing the risk of infection resulting from dry/irritated skin caused by the alcohol.
4. Exactly why most experts will recommend quat-based hand sanitizer products, such as using Benzalkonium Chloride as the active ingredient. Well-documented to be equally, if not more effective insofar as germ/bacteria-killing capability, but safer and friendlier to the hands--and providing extended persistency. Popular products within the category include Soapopular and Hy5 (more info at http://www.SoapyUSA.com) about these products--and a great blog on the topic of hand hygiene is http://www.handhygienefacts.blogspot.com
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