Fact or Fiction: Check Your Knowledge of Summer Foods
Find out tips on how to keep your food safe this summer.
July 1, 2007 — -- For many people, summer means heading outdoors for barbecues and picnics. But how much do you really know about summer foods? Check your knowledge with this fact-or-fiction list.
Fact or Fiction: Mayonnaise spoils faster in the sun.
Fiction: Mayonnaise doesn't "spoil fast," because it is acidic from the vinegar content. The absolute maximum time for leaving prepared foods at room temperature is two hours, including time for preparation, serving and eating. Discard any perishable foods left at room temperature longer than two hours. If you are eating outdoors at a picnic or cookout where temperatures are hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit, discard foods after one hour.
Fact or Fiction: Combining alcohol and shellfish makes you sick.
Fiction: There is no direct correlation between sickness and consuming shellfish and alcohol. Shellfish and alcohol separately might be problematic to some people, and maybe that's why this myth was perpetuated.
Fact or Fiction: Eating garlic keeps bugs away.
Fiction: It doesn't work. If anything, you'll wind up repelling your date and friends. The best way to keep bugs away is the tried-and-true bug repellents.
Fact or Fiction: Flipping burgers every 60 seconds makes them better for you.
Fact: Flipping burgers every minute makes them healthier. Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California found turning burgers once a minute cuts the formation of heterocyclic amines (HCA) by up to 85 percent. Marinating meat in watery -- not thick -- sauces also protects against HCA. HCAs form in the blackened crust when meat is cooked at very high temperatures. It raises the risk of developing colorectal, pancreatic and breast cancers. Other tips to eliminate HCAs include encasing meat in foil or simply cooking the meat longer at a lower temperature.
Fact or Fiction: Grilling won't kill pesticides on veggies.
Fact: Some people think you don't have to wash veggies before grilling because the heat will kill the pesticides. The truth is pesticides are chemicals, not bacteria. So, they can't be "killed." Vegetables need to be washed.
Fact or Fiction: Turning heat on high cleans your grill.
Fiction: Turning your grill on high doesn't necessarily ensure bacteria will die. Cleaning the grill grate while the fire is still hot, then closing the cover and allowing the temperature to reach at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit will allow the heat to build up and cook away most potential bacteria. In addition, you must regularly clean the outside of your grill to get rid of bacteria build-up on outer grill surfaces that could seep inside.
Fact Or Fiction: I can't put hot food in the refrigerator.
Fiction: It's not good to let foods cool down at room temperature because they can grow bacteria while cooling down. Putting hot foods in fridge brings temperature up so the fridge may not stay at below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Food should not be out of refrigeration for more than two hours because it is exposed to temperature above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, where harmful bacteria multiply rapidly. Time is reduced to one hour when the temperature is hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fact Or Fiction: It's safe to put your grill away once the charcoal turn gray.
Fiction: Even though coals are ashy, they may still reignite and produce lethal carbon monoxide fumes. Leave your grill outside for at least 48 hours.
Fact Or Fiction: For faster grilling, it's OK to precook chicken an hour before putting it on the grill.
Fact: If precooking meat, only do so right before putting it on the grill. Leaving partially cooked meat to sit can breed bacteria, which subsequent grilling might not destroy.
Extra Tips For Making Your Picnic Perfect:
What's the single easiest thing we can do to keep our families safe while grilling?
Use color-coded utensils. To avoid transferring bacteria, utensils used on raw meat shouldn't touch cooked meat or other foods. Use one color for uncooked meat, and a different color for cooked.
Keep Hot Foods Hot
Hold hot cooked foods between 140 degrees Fahrenheit and 165 degrees Fahrenheit until serving time. Harmful bacteria can grow rapidly below 140 degrees Fahrenheit. When food is cooked to temperatures of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, most food-poisoning bacteria is killed. The higher the heat, the less time it takes to kill bacteria.
Keep Cold Foods Cold
Cold food should be held at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder. Harmful bacteria can multiply quickly above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold temperatures keep most harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying. Freezing at 0 degrees Fahrenheit prevents additional bacteria growth.