Back Yard Barbeques

Four food safety tips to keep your family healthy and loving grilled foods.

• Marinate Sauce: Uncooked sauce that's been used to marinate raw meat should never be served with cooked food.
• Raw Foods: Did you know that juice from raw meat or poultry contaminates other foods? When grilling raw meat, be certain to keep the raw meat on separate plates and use different utensils than what you use for other cooked foods.
• Cooking Meat: It is wise to use a thermometer to check if the meat is thoroughly cooked before serving to guests. Steaks should be cooked at 145° to F-170°; fish to 145°F and chicken breasts to 170° F. When grilling hamburgers, cook to 160° F, or until the juices run clear.
• Clean Up: Cleaning the grill after each use helps reduce the risk of exposure to bacteria and other harmful substances.

Grilling advice from Taking Care magazine, July 2003.