Here are some top tips from safefood for a lovely summer barbecue:
Before you get grilling
Give your barbecue grill a thorough clean by scrubbing the metal rack with a suitable oven cleaner or a damp brush dipped in bicarbonate of soda. And remember to rinse it thoroughly with warm, soapy, water afterwards.
Keeping your cool
Keep perishable foods like quiche, salads and coleslaw in your fridge until you need them.
Before you start
Make sure frozen foods are fully thawed (preferably in the fridge on the bottom shelf ) before you start cooking them. Keep foods you plan to cook in the fridge or a cool box until needed and light your barbecue well in advance; for charcoal barbecues, the flames should have died down before you start cooking.
It’s in your hands
Remember to keep raw meat separate from cooked meat and ready-to-eat foods like salads. Always use separate utensils for handling raw and cooked meat when cooking. Never put cooked food on a dish that has been used for raw meat or poultry (unless it’s been thoroughly washed ) and keep food covered whenever possible.
Cook with confidence
safefood recommends that meats should be cooked until they are piping hot all the way through, with no pink meat remaining and the juices run clear. If you’ve got lots of people visiting your barbecue and want to ensure that meat is thoroughly cooked, why not pre-cook the meat in your kitchen just before you put it on the barbecue for that great flavour.
When cooking meat that is minced or skewered such as burgers, sausages and kebabs, and poultry on the barbecue make sure to turn it regularly and move it around the grill to ensure it is cooked evenly on both sides.
Steaks or whole meat joints of beef or lamb can be served 'rare' as harmful bacteria are on the outside only, and not in the centre.
Mind that marinade
If you like to marinate your meat, make sure any marinade used on raw meat is not then used as a sauce to coat vegetables or cooked meat as it will contain raw meat bacteria
Love those leftovers
If there are any leftovers from your barbecue, allow the food to cool before refrigerating, however make sure to refrigerate food within two hours of cooking.
For more information on food safety and healthy eating including recipes, visit www.safefood.eu and enjoy your barbecue this summer!
