Memorial Day Weekend is this weekend and that’s unofficially the kick-off for the grilling and picnic season. But the summertime months bring us hotter days. The number of food borne illnesses increases in June, July and August.
Bacteria love the heat and grow much faster when food is served in the warm out-of-doors. The time that food can be left safely outside the refrigerator drops from 2 hours to just 1 hour.
Chill Out Tips:
- Transport food in insulated cooler with tight seals.
- Use frozen-solid ice packs.
- Pack the food loosely for good air circulation.
- Pack the food COLD. Don’t put warm potato salad in a cooler. It will only warm up everything else in the cooler – not good!
- Avoid frequent opening of coolers.
- Have one cooler for food (opened less frequently) and one cooler for drinks (opened more often).
- Stash coolers in the shade.
At picnic time, get back to kitchen safety basics: Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
