Memorial Day cookouts mark the unofficial starts of summer. Here's how you can keep everyone safe and healthy
This weekend, friends and families will gather for the annual Memorial Day cookouts, and the last thing you want to do if you're hosting is send your family and friends home sick.
Of course, you don't know you're making them sick at the time, and you don't want everyone realizing later that they got sick at your cookout.
Food is part of the gathering and enjoying one another's company, but that food can easily enter the danger zone.
What are safe temperatures for my cookout food?
"We want to make sure that cold foods are kept below 40 degrees and hot foods are kept above 140 degrees," said Mary Alice Gettings, a food safety expert at Penn State.
Gettings said, once food enters the danger zone, bacteria that are naturally in the food or not can double every 20 minutes, meaning that there is a limit to the time in the zone.
"Once you hit the two-hour time frame, you need to get them into the refrigerator and cool them to 40 degrees," she explained. "You can take a serving container and put it in ice to keep it below 40 degrees, or you can take some type of container and put it in a deep dish of ice."
When it comes to getting hot foods hot enough to kill the bacteria, Gettings said do not trust your eye, use a meat thermometer.
"You have to cook hamburgers to 160 degrees, chicken to 165 [degrees], fish to 145 [degrees], and hot dogs, you can cook them to 140, but they say it's best if you cook them to 150-160 [degrees] for the flavor," she said.
For best temperature protection, cook to order or for immediate need, but you can also wrap hot foods and put them in an insulated container because the bacteria is nothing to mess with.
What can happen if I don't cook my food properly?
While it might be obvious, the health risks that come with undercooked food can leave you in the bathroom at best and in the hospital at worst.
"You can get vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and chills," Gettings said. "You might get one or two of the symptoms, you might get all of them, you could be hospitalized."
To avoid a lot of that, make sure to plan ahead. If your meats are frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator, but if you have to cook it with some more urgency, use the microwave.
When it comes to leftovers, the clock is ticking. Two hours in the "danger zone" max, so if you refrigerate them, just know when you get them out of the refrigerator, eat them immediately.
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CNET
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- CNET
Still Using That Cracked Spatula? These 7 Kitchen Tools Need to Go
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New York Times
an hour ago
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This Liquid Exfoliant Has Been My Holy-Grail Skin-Care Product for Years. Here's Why.
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But if I had to choose just one product to care for my skin after cleansing, it's definitely this exfoliant. I haven't found anything else that's as enjoyable to use with such dramatic, pleasing results. This Paula's Choice 2% BHA contains just eight ingredients. Its main active ingredient is salicylic acid, which is a kind of beta hydroxy acid. BHA is one of three types of chemical exfoliants often used in skin care — the other two are alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), which is a smaller molecule, and polyhydroxy acid (PHA), which is a larger molecule. BHAs are known for being 'exceptionally efficacious at sinking into pores and breaking down the sebum that causes oiliness and cystic acne,' editor Rory Evans explains in our exfoliant guide. That claim proved especially true among our Paula's Choice 2% BHA testers. 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CBS News
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- CBS News
Shark likely caused swimmer's injuries at Jones Beach, officials say
Video shows crowd push shark in distress back into water at Rockaway Beach Video shows crowd push shark in distress back into water at Rockaway Beach Video shows crowd push shark in distress back into water at Rockaway Beach A woman injured while swimming at Long Island's Jones Beach was likely bitten by a shark, New York State Parks officials concluded. The 20-year-old beachgoer reported getting bitten by an unknown marine animal in waste-deep water at the Central Mall beachfront, State Parks officials said. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation concluded a juvenile sand tiger shark was the most likely culprit after reviewing pictures of the woman's injuries and other information about the incident. Swimming suspended at Jones Beach after suspected shark bite The woman was treated for minor cuts to her foot and leg before being taken to Nassau County University Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries late Wednesday afternoon, officials said. Swimming was immediately suspended and a subsequent drone search for "dangerous marine life" was unsuccessful, they added. Another drone search for sharks came up empty before swimming resumed Thursday morning. Lifeguards also scanned the water from shore and watercraft before declaring it was safe, officials said. Ways to steer clear of sharks at the beach New York State Parks says swimmers can do the following to minimize the risk of shark interactions: Avoid areas with seals Avoid areas with schools of fish, splashing fish, or diving seabirds Avoid swimming at dusk, night, and dawn Avoid murky water Swim, paddle, and surf in groups Stay close to shore, where your feet can touch the bottom Always follow the instructions of lifeguards and Parks' staff
