Tis the season! College football season that is. We are less than a month away and the college rivalry begins. Team flags will start to appear on the front lawn, casual Fridays in the office will change to a college polo and the best part of all…tailgating!
More on tailgating food safety>>
Tailgating is an American tradition where food is cooked and served on and around the tailgate of a vehicle.
While tailgating can be fun for the family and friends, let’s not forget food safety. Cooks have to take precautions to keep the food safe during those tailgating events, while refrigerators are not available.
Here's how to keep food safe while tailgating.
●Carry cold perishable food like raw hamburger patties, hotdogs, and chicken in an insulated cooler packed with ice or gel packs. Place an appliance thermometer in the cooler so you can check to be sure the food stays at 40F or below.
●Perishable cooked food such as lunch meat, potato or pasta salad must be kept cool too.
●If bringing hot take-out food, eat it within 2 hours of purchase (1 hour if the temperature is above 90F).
●Include lots of clean utensils for preparing and serving the safely cooked food.
●Pack clean, wet, disposable cloths or moist towelettes and paper towels for cleaning hands and surfaces.
●In addition to a grill and fuel for cooking food, pack a food thermometer so you can check and make sure the meat and poultry reach a high enough temperature to destroy harmful bacteria that may be present.
●When taking food off the grill, use a clean platter. Don’t put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry. Any harmful bacteria present in the raw meat juices could contaminate safely cooked food.
These are the safe minimum internal temperatures for tailgating and other outdoor sporting events:
●All poultry, 165°F
●Ground meats, 160°F
●Beef, pork, lamb, and veal steaks, roasts, and chops, 145°F*
●Leftovers, 165°F
●Reheating, 165°F
*As measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.
Rebecca Catalena is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CATALENA: 7 steps to tailgate food safety