By Betty L. Chesnut
Handle food carefully in the summer. Foodborne illness, or food poisoning, increases during the summer months for two reasons. One, bacteria—which are all around us—multiply faster in warm weather. They grow fastest at temperatures from 90 to 110 degrees. A second reason is that they need moisture to flourish, and summer weather is often hot and humid.
We also cook and eat outside more often, and don’t have the cleanliness, refrigeration, and washing facilities we have in our kitchens.
Minimize the risk of being hit by a bug by following these common-sense food handling rules from the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often. Unwashed hands are a prime cause of foodborne illness. Use warm, soapy water and wash for 15-20 seconds. Pack clean, wet, disposable washcloths or moist towelettes and paper towels to clean hands and surfaces when outside. Wash fruits and vegetables under clean tap water before you peel, cut, eat, or cook them
Separate: Don’t cross contaminate. Handle meat carefully so juices and bacteria don’t come in contact with ready-to-eat food. Wash plates, utensils, and cutting boards in hot soapy water before using them again for cooked food. Store meats so juices do not drip onto other food in the refrigerator or freezer.
Cook: Cook to safe temperatures. One of the most important things you can do for yourself and your family is to cook foods thoroughly, especially meat. Food is safely cooked when it is heated long enough and at a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness. The only way to be certain of the temperature is to use a food thermometer. Cook raw beef, pork, veal, and lamb steaks and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees; allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before eating or carving. Cook all ground meat to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, and all poultry to 165 degrees. Do not partially cook meat ahead of time; complete cooking immediately.
Chill: Refrigerate food promptly. Keep cold food cold. When shopping, pick up cold and frozen foods last; keep them in a cooler in the car if you won’t be home in a short amount of time. Keep your refrigerator as cold as possible without freezing milk or lettuce. Defrost frozen meat in the refrigerator or in the microwave (cook immediately), not on the kitchen counter–bacteria can multiply in the outer layers of the food before the inside thaws.
Leftovers? Food left out of refrigeration for more than 2 hours may not be safe to eat. Above 90 degrees, food may become unsafe in 1 hour. Play it safe and refrigerate perishables once you finish eating so they do not spoil or become unsafe to eat.
If you have any doubts, throw it out. Foodborne illness bacteria can multiply to levels that can make you sick, but you cannot see, smell, or taste them. Most of the time, victims recover pretty quickly but occasionally food poisoning can be fatal.
Betty Chesnut is an Eat Smart New York Resource Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Family Health and Wellness Program. She can be reached at blc4@cornell.edu.