SubscribeDon't Get Sick: How to Picnic Wisely
I got to admit. I'm not much of an outdoorsman. I prefer the comforts of air-conditioning and indoor plumbing, but for many of us summertime means cookouts, barbeques, and picnics.
And if you're not careful, the wrong food preparation can leave you scrambling for the indoor plumbing. That's why registered dietician Keri Glassman shared some picnic safety tips with the CBS Early Show. Here's the gist of it:
Be Clean...
- Wash your hands before and after touching raw meats.
- Use plastic utensils.
- Keep cooked and uncooked food separated.
- Wash and peel fresh produce.
- Make sure coolers are cleaned.
Keep food cold...
- Temperature below 40 degrees prevents bacteria.
- Use ice cubes or frozen bottles of water.
- Pack up your cooler just before you head out.
- Full coolers stay colder longer.
- Don't put coolers in the trunk or sunlight.
Drinks...
- Bring lots of cold water.
- Freeze water ahead of time.
- Keep drinks and food separate.
Grilling...
- Don't partially cook meats ahead of time.
- Cook meats thoroughly: Poultry, 165 degrees; Hamburgers, 160 degrees; Beef, veal and lamb, 145 degrees; Reheat cooked hot dogs to 140 degrees.
- Use a thermometer.
Other tips...
- Throw away food you're unsure of; if it smells funny--throw it out!
- Bring healthy non-refrigerated foods; like fruit and nuts.
- Don't cook with perishable foods; use mayo and sour cream instead of olive oil and hummus.
Well, they all sound like decent suggestions, but that last one irks me--not because I don't eat dairy--but I'd sooner leave olive oil in the heat than sour cream or mayonnaise, even if I did setup camp near an outhouse!
More like this in Food and Tips and Tools · Jul 8, 2008
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"Don't cook with perishable foods; use mayo and sour cream instead of olive oil and hummus."
I think there was a typo/brain fart
ReplyI was about to say...
ReplyYeah, I read the article and the last part was sort of worded backwards I think. I'm pretty sure she meant to say that using olive oil/hummus is BETTER than using mayo/creamy salad dressings. At least, that's what I thought when I read it!
ReplyHey Heather and Katie-
Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me either. I reread the article a bunch of times and every time I said, "Hunh?"
Peace.
Reply-Gerry
I agree that that has to be a typo. I always forgo mayo during picnics. Whether or not it makes you sick, warm mayo is just kind of gross to begin with.
ReplyI don't like mayo anyway, but warm mayonnaise sounds awful. I recently went camping and these are all good suggestions, except for maybe the last one. I highly suggest bringing some non-refrigerated foods like the person says. Also, make sure everything is sealed very well before packing it.
ReplyAs a microbiologist, I can tell you that a LOT of food poisoning has more to do with the transfer of bacteria from other places onto food. So keeping your food clean is probably one of the best things you can do to prevent coliforms/Salmonella/Listeria/etc. from getting onto your foods. Keeping everything at the proper temperature helps keep the total bacterial counts low so you don't get sick as well. I love the idea of keeping foods in several different small coolers to keep everything really cold. I usually have one cooler specifically for meat and I bring my meat in several plastic bags to prevent leaks. I wash my hands thoroughly prior to packing my picnic stuff and I use a mild bleach solution to wash my coolers after I use them.
Incidentally, it's not the mayo that causes food poisoning because mayo is too acidic to support the growth of bacteria. It's the proteins in most mayo-based dishes (eggs, turkey, tuna, etc) that start growing bacteria when food is left out for extended periods of time.
ReplyMany good points, though the last one does seem strange. I’d like to add another point. Don’t leave food sitting out; cover it to keep away the insects. Flies don’t like to land on cooking food but if there is a real crowd of them then they will, so have someone guard the barbeque. Flying insects are unlikely to make you really sick, but they are as capable of spreading germs as anything else.
ReplyThe last on is probably for people to lose weight because you never just have mayo by itself. You always have it mixed up with the turkey, ham, and assorted sandwiches.
And if you leave it out in the heat where bacteria will manifest and eat it, you will definitely be sick for a good while and won't be able to hold anything down for a long time.
I don't think you would care to lose weight in this fashion though :)
ReplyCould someone please tell me how long hot dogs remain edible it they are in hot water over sterno?
Reply