Tips and Food Safety for Your Fun Outing
Keep uninvited guest away from your picnic. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. The danger zone for holding cooked or raw foods is above 40˚F and below 140 ˚F.
1). Use an extended cold ice chest for several day uses. Ice chest like Coleman Xtreme or Igloo MaxClad can keep ice up to 6 days.
2). Larger blocks of ice last longer, smaller cubes cool food and drinks down faster. Cool food and drinks before putting in an ice chest. Putting a room temperature 6 pack in a chest will take 1 ½ bags of ice to cool down. You may want to freeze water in bottles to use or use frozen gel pads. Do not drain melted ice unless you are adding new ice. The cold water helps to keep the food cooled.
3). Keep a digital thermometer in the chest to make sure the temperature stays 40˚F or lower. You can also use that thermometer to ensure meats are cooked properly.
4). Keep a separate ice chest for drinks and foods. Continuously opening the chest melts the ice rapidly.
5). Cook meats and cool before traveling. If you are bringing raw meat to Bar-B-Q, wrap well in plastic or a baggie to keep from leaking. Store the meat at the bottom of the chest to prevent cross-contamination. Bring hand wipes. Wipe hands and surfaces when dealing with raw animal protein foods. Do not use plates that have had raw meat or marinade on them.
6). Use trays or containers to prevent food from getting wet.
7). If you wash berries, pat dry, put in container to prevent rapid deterioration. If storing for several days, bring whole fruits to cut up when ready to use. They will stay fresh longer. Use canned or packaged tuna and other protein foods to prevent spoilage.
8). Store your ice chest in the shade and insulate with a blanket.
9). If boating or hiking for 2 or more hours bring food that can’t handle the danger zone in an iced or use reusable ice mats.
10). Clean dishes at your camp site away from streams, lakes, or other bodies of water to prevent polluting. Use biodegradable cleaning products. Clean ice chest with soapy water and let dry before storing with lid shut.
If cooking meat or poultry use your digital thermometer to ensure E. Coli is killed. Do not rely on the color of food!
Beef, veal, lamb, roast: 145 ˚F
Pork: 160˚F
Ground Meat: 160 ˚F
Poultry: 165 ˚F
When in doubt, discard perishable food. Bring just enough to eat, avoid excess. Remember to wash all produce (even bagged) because it can contain E. Coli just as meats can. Do not use plates that have had raw meat or marinade on them.
