Food Safety, Knife Safety, and Grill Safety

"It's hard to be funny when you have to be clean." Mae West

Barbecue can be dangerous. Fire, knives, microbes, oh my! A little knowledge and a lot of common sense can get you out alive.

That's right, people can die from some types of foodborne pathogens. Since most raw meat and poultry have been contaminated by harmful microbes in the air, on the farm, during butchering, and in the packaging process, it is helpful to think of all raw meat as pathogenic. Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria are the most common contaminants. They are killed when cooked properly. Here's an ounce of prevention. For more info, visit FoodSafety.gov.

Shopping

• Bacteria multiply rapidly at room temperature. An E-coli population can double every hour at room temp. Uncooked meat must be kept cold. Make grocery shopping your last stop when you're out running errands so groceries do not sit in you car any longer than they have to.
• Don't push the cart with meat, dairy, or eggs around the store for 30 minutes. Make the meat counter the last stop. Get the dry goods and veggies first.
• Keep the meat separate from other foods in your cart and when bagged, and have meat bagged in plastic. Put meat in the coolest part of your car. If your grocery is more than 30 minutes from home, on hot days you should bring an insulated box or bag for carrying refrigerated products.
• Pay attention to the dates on packaging. "Sell By" date tells the store when to remove products from the shelf. "Best If Used By" or "Use By" dates tell you when you should eat or freeze the product. These dates are not related to safety, just quality. And you can no longer rely on the color of meat if it is prepackaged because some grocers now sell red meat packed in a carbon monoxide atmosphere to prevent browning. Remember, the dates are meaningless once the package has been opened and exposed to air and bacteria.
• Often the newest stock is placed near the back of displays. Nuff said.
• Don't buy cans that are dented, leaking, or bulging.

Handling food

• When you get home, get cold products into the fridge right away. And listen to your wife when she tells you to quit leaving the door open.
• Keep a thermometer in the fridge and the freezer. Make sure your refrigerator is between 32F and 40F. Your freezer should be 0F or below.
• FIFO means first in, first out. That means if you buy a slab of ribs on Monday, and then they go on sale on Wednesday so you buy another slab, cook the slab you bought on Monday first. FIFO also applies to canned foods and dry goods. Write the date of freezing on frozen food packages with an indelible marker. Put a date on leftovers too. In fact, dating everything is a good idea.
• Store flour and grains in airtight containers. They attract small insects and the fats in them can go rancid. Cool and dark is best. If you find moths in the pantry, you may have to throw everything out.
• Keep spices out of direct sunlight. Cool and dark is best.
• If you marinate or brine your meat, it must be kept in a refrigerator or cooler.
• Anything touching raw meat becomes contaminated and must be properly cleaned. Use the bleach solution described in the sidebar article.
• Wrap raw meat tightly and put it in pans or on platters with side dishes. Store raw meat so it cannot drip on other foods.
• Wash kitchen towels often. Microwave damp sponges for two minutes frequently or run them through the dishwasher.
• After you rinse meat in the sink you must wash the sink thoroughly. Soaps with bleach such as Comet are good for cleaning sinks counters, and cutting boards. Use the bleach solution described in the sidebar article.
• Do not carry raw meat over the floor without having a plate under it especially if you have young children.
• If you are cooking outdoors or at a competition, a cooler with ice is a necessity as is the bleach solution described in the sidebar article.
• It is best to handle raw meat with rubber or latex gloves. Pull off gloves by grabbing the cuffs and turning them inside out so the outside of the gloves doesn't contaminate your hands.
• You may handle uncooked food with your bare hands but you must first wash your hands past your wrists thoroughly with hot water and soap for 20 seconds by rubbing them vigorously. That's about the time it takes to sing the "Happy Birthday" song. Pay close attention to the areas under your fingernails. Rinse them thoroughly, dry them with paper towels, and throw the towels away. When you are done handling meat, you must wash and dry your hands again. Do not handle the refrigerator door handle, drawer knobs, or the faucets with contaminated hands.
• If you have a cold or any contagious illness, you should not handle food. Let someone else do the cooking. If you absolutely must cook, wear rubber or latex gloves and a mask.
• Pet water bowls should be dumped outdoors or in the toilet, not the sink.

• Don't cook frozen meat. Click here to read how to defrost your meat safely.
• Discard any cans that are leaking or bulging.
• Wash the top of beer and soft drink cans. And quit drinking from the milk bottle!
• You must not bring cooked meat to the table on a platter that carried raw meat out to the grill. Wash all dishes, knives, tongs, and brushes that have touched raw meat in hot soapy water, preferably a dishwasher. This means that if you use tongs to put raw meat on the grill, you must wash it before you use it to turn the meat.

Cooking

• Cooking must be done at a temperature of 175F or higher. Cook to the proper temperature. This is especially important for chicken, turkey, ground meats, and raw sausage. They are more susceptible to contamination. When the meat is done, if you aren't serving it within 30 minutes, you must keep it so the surface is warmer than 150F. When handling cooked foods you should use tongs or wear gloves. If cooked meat falls on the ground, for any length of time,there is no 5-second rule, it should be discarded or washed and then heated to above 150F on the surface. To be sure you are safe you really really should have a good thermometer.
• Even if the meat is browning, the juices bubbling to the surface may be contaminated. You can use a marinade as a mop or a basting sauce, but remember, painting meat with a brush and dipping it into a marinade or sauce contaminates the meat, brush, and marinate. You cannot use a used marinade as a baste during the last 30 minutes of cooking or as a dipping sauce at the table.
• If you wish to use marinades or bastes as a sauce, you must bring them to a rolling boil for at least two minutes.
• Be sure to discard a marinade or mopping solution after you're done cooking. They are contaminated with raw meat juices. You cannot save them for future use.
• The best way to baste or apply a barbecue sauce is to spoon, pour, or spritz the liquid onto the meat. Especially if you leave it sitting out during the cook. If you must use a brush, use one that is easy to clean and sterilize such as the new silicon brushes.
• So you don't waste sauce by dipping the brush into the bottle and contaminate the sauce in the bottle, pour the sauce you need into a cup or bowl and dip your brush or spoon into the cup or bowl.
• If you are a guest in someone's home and you see them using an unsafe method such as putting cooked chicken on a platter that has had raw meat, politely but firmly speak up!
• Avoid burning food, and if you do, cut off the burned parts. In addition to tasting bad, burned food may be bad for your health. Read my article Does grilling pose a cancer risk?
• Do not leave leftovers on the table for more than an hour. Refrigerate them promptly on the lower, cooler shelves. If you have leftovers, divide them into small portions so they cool quickly. Do not stack meat while cooling.
• Use uncooked meat, veggies, and leftovers within three days and one week is the max. Look carefully at anything that has been aging in the fridge and if it has any sign of mold or slime, throw it out. Smell anything that has been kept in the fridge for more than three days.
• Your motto: When in doubt, throw it out.

Cutting board safety

• There is a lively debate over which is safer, wood or plastic cutting boards. Both can be safe if they are cleaned thoroughly. Scrub them well with a chlorine based cleanser and a brush. Plastic boards can go into the washing machine, where they get exposed to high heat and detergent. I recommend plastic.
• If you do not have a washing machine, use a bleach solution to clean your board.
• Keep one board for meats only.
• When boards get deep cuts, sand them smooth or throw them out.

Knife safety

• Be alert and focused when using knives and sharp objects. Beverage alcohol and knives are a dangerous combo.
• Use sharp knives.
• Don not gesture and waive with knives in your hands.
• A damp towel or paper towel under a cutting board can help keep it from shifting.
• Make sure you have plenty of elbow room when cutting.
• If you drop a knife, don't try to catch it and get your feet out of the way. Wait for the knife to stop moving before trying to pick it up.
• Never open cans with a knife.
• Never use a knife as a screwdriver.
• Always use a cutting board. Never cut anything that is in your hand.

Food Safety Widget Get your food safety questions answered at USDA's "Ask Karen" or call their Meat and Poultry Hotline at: 1-888-MPHotline 1-888-674-6854 Or send them email.

Stovetop safety

• Make sure handles of pots and pans are not sticking out over the edge of a table or counter.
• Do not fill pots to the brim.
• If you put a wet liquid into hot oil it will spit hot oil at high velocity right at your eyes with deadly accuracy.
• Keep pets away from the front of the stove.

Grill, smoker, and oven safety

• Keep a fire extinguisher nearby. Water will only spread oil fires and may not extinguish grease fires. The best extinguisher is rated ABC (see sidebar).
• Never cook with grills or smokers indoors or in garages. They produce carbon monoxide and smoke that can kill you.
• Don't keep your grill close to your house or deck railings. Beware of overhanging rooflines or trees.
• Never use gas, paint thinner, solvents, or kerosene to start your charcoal. Chimneys or electric coil starters are the best way to start coals, but if you use charcoal starter fluid, once the coals are smoldering never squirt them with more fluid. The flame can climb up the stream and set you on fire.
• Don't cook near gasoline or other flamables. Keep propane tanks at least two feet from the burners.
• On gas grills, always lift the lid when you ignite the burners. A gas buildup under the hood could blow it open and flash in your face.
• If you smell gas, turn off the grill immediately.
• Handle hot grills, coals, and hot liquids with respect. Be alert. No horseplay near cookers.
• Keep children and pets away from grills and smokers, uncooked meat, hot liquids, and sharp objects.
• Use potholders and/or insulated gloves.
• Do not discard ash until the coals are thoroughly dead. Let them sit overnight or dump water on them before you put them in your trash can.
• Bare feet, sandals, flip-flops, and loose clothes are dangerous around grills and are not recommended.
• Don't put small grills on flammable or glass tables.
• Save the grill manual and remember where you put it.
• If you have long hair, tie it in a pony tail.
• Stay sober when around the grill.

This page was revised 10/4/2009