Many residents enjoy outdoor cooking in the summer months. Food poisoning can be caused by germs which either survive cooking, grow too quickly in the heat or cross contaminate from raw meats to cooked or ready-to-eat foods. To avoid these possible problems, the Nassau County Department of health offers the following food safety tips:

Cooking: Undercooked meats can contain dangerous bacteria such as E. Coli O157:H7 and Salmonella that can lead to serious illness and even death, especially in young children and the elderly. These bacteria cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. To destroy the bacteria, hamburgers should be cooked until they are brown in the middle, with no pink juices, or to 160 F in the middle when tested with meat thermometers. Chicken should be cooked to 165 F, or until no pink remains.

Wash hands and surfaces. Wash hands thoroughly before preparing or serving food and after touching raw meat.

Do Not Cross Contaminate. Use utensils to handle cooked food and remember not to place cooked meat on surfaces that held raw meat. Never re-use plates before washing, especially plates used to hold raw meats or eggs.

Serving. Serve the first-cooked meats first and within two hours of cooking. Keep cold foods cold in a refrigerator (at 40 F or stored in coolers with sufficient ice until ready to eat.) Refrigerate any leftovers immediately. Never leave food at room temperature for more than two hours.

Additional Tips: Use a separate cutting board or plates for foods that will not be cooked such as salad. Marinate food in the refrigerator and do not taste it or re-use the marinade after the raw meat has been added.

For more information about food safety, call the Nassau County Department of Health weekdays from 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. at 571-3680.