Food safety is commonly equated to restaurants and health codes. And while this is an important aspect of food safety, we don't often think about our own household when it comes to the rules of food preparation. As spring blooms and summer approaches, we are more likely to cook at home and outside. With that comes an increased risk of foodborne illness. Don't let this intimidate you from having your own potluck let Kratos Gas & Power enlighten you on simple food safety tips!

Proper Storage

Before cooking even begins, be sure that you are storing your food correctly. A part of food safety is what temperature to keep your food items. When buying frozen foods, think burgers or veggies, they need to stay frozen. As soon as you arrive from the grocery store be sure to immediately place it in the freezer. If items have defrosted for whatever reason, throw them away. While storing your food, be sure to store meat products at the very bottom of your refrigerator, in their own sealed section. This prevents runoff from contaminating other areas of your fridge.

Cleaning

Be sure to thoroughly clean fruits and vegetables before preparing food. You can easily do this by preparing a vinegar and water bath for your produce. Use one part of white vinegar and four parts of water. Submerge for five minutes. Afterward, simply rinse with tap water, let dry, and you are ready to use them!

It is not recommended to wash meat; seeing as bacteria will die while cooking. It actually increases the risk for contamination, since the raw meat will have more contact with surfaces!

Cook Times

Each category of meat has a different temperature it needs to reach internally to be safe. Here is a handy guide to keep around. A digital thermometer will come in handy and leave out the guesswork for your grill-out months.

Outdoor Dining

While having potlucks and grill-outs you should be aware of each dish's food safety. Cold food should remain cold, by sitting on top of ice or in double-walled containers. You have around 4 hours to keep foods like pasta salad and potato salad fresh. Similarly, hot food needs to stay hot. You can use gas canisters or crock pots to help accomplish this.

Be sure to cover food when not being eaten, to eliminate any insect contamination. Flies are everywhere and they are quick to seek out a source of food.

Food safety keeps your barbecue from any potential problems and keeps your summer months healthy. Make sure that you follow the simple steps in order to keep your family going. Keep checking back to the Kratos Gas & Power blog for more lifestyle tips.