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Nutrition notes
Grilling 101
by Melissa Haug, Assistant Director of Fitness
Whether you're a weekend-only griller or an every-day grilling extraordinaire, there are some sizzling food safety tips you'll need to keep in mind this summer when cooking up those tender T-bones and mouth-watering pork chops.
Although grilling comes down to personal style and preference, the American Dietetics Association experts suggest these helpful tips to ensure a high quality and safe product:
- Before you fire up the grill this summer, you'll want to clean it. It only takes some hot, sopy water and a scrub brush. You will also want to wash cutting boards and utensils in soapy water before and in between use.
- Thaw your meats properly. Start your meal right by thawing meats in a refrigerator set below 40 degrees fahrenheit, in a microwave on "defrost" setting, or under cold water in your kitchen sink. When using the sink method, make sure the packaging is air tight and the water is changed every 30 minutes.
- Eliminate bacteria in barbecue. Marinate meat in the refrigerator and never on the counter or outside by the grill. If you plan to reuse marinades, boil them to prevent transfer of bacteria to other types of meat.
- Use a food thermometer. To further ensure food safety and doneness, cook your favorite foods to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees fahrenheit for beef and 170 degrees fahrenheit for chicken.
- Decrease risk of food poisoning. Don't leave food outside in weather above 90 degrees fahrenheit for more than one hour. If the temperature outside is below 90 degrees but above 40 degrees fahrenheit, food should not be outside for longer than two hours. If foods must be outside longer than 1-2 hours, keep the perishable food items on ice.
- Bring moist towelets or soap and water. These can be used to wipe off surfaces and hands that come in contact with raw meat products. This prevents spread of bacteria to ready-to-eat food items.
- Store it as leftovers. When storing food for later meals or snack time, be sure to chill items below 40 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent bacterial growth.
- Wash your hands. The final thing that "master-grillers" should consider, to ensure food safety, is cleaning hands thoroughly for at least 30 second with warm soapy water before and after handling food items.
So if you're READY, you're now SET with the basics, so GRILL!