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HealthWatch: Food Safety Tips For Holiday Grilling

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Jul 3, 2009 4:39 pm US/Eastern

HealthWatch: Food Safety Tips For Holiday Grilling

Salmonella, E. Colli Can Thrive In Under-Cooked Foods

NEW YORK (CBS) ― Many New Yorkers will be grilling on their Fourth of July holiday weekend, but most probably don't know the correct temperatures at which to cook their burgers or steaks.

Toni Hope, health director for Good Housekeeping, warns backyard cooks should be cautious of bacteria that may be lurking in certain foods before they are thrown on the grill.

"Salmonella is now the leading cause of food poisoning in this country," Hope said. "You can get it from undercooked poultry. E. coli can cause life-threatening infections (and) kidney damage – especially in children."

Serving uncooked meat, poultry or fish increases a person's risk of getting salmonella or e. coli poisoning, and the US Center for Disease Control estimates that over 70 million people get sick from food borne illnesses each year.

Roast beef and fish should both be cooked at 145 degrees Fahrenheit, while 160 degrees is recommended for ground beef and 165 is the standard for poultry.

But while it's crucial to cook meat thoroughly, it's also important not to over-grill it. Cancer-causing compounds known as heterocyclic amines can form on foods heated over an open flame of char-grill.

A food thermometer should be used to check temperatures in moments of uncertainty, but Good Housekeeping's Sharon Franke said grillers should wash it thoroughly in between uses

"If I am cooking several things at once, I have several thermometers at the ready," Franke said.

Franke added that cooks should frequently wash their hands and any surfaces they use, and that eating undercooked meats and poultries is not the only way to contract a food borne illness.

Summer dishes containing mayonnaise, like potato salad, should be kept in the refrigerator, as leaving them in the heat for more than one hour can promote the growth of bacteria. The recommended chilling temperature is 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

The use of separate cutting boards for meat and poultry also helps to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

Grills should only be used outside, as charcoal briquettes emit the deadly carbon monoxide gas.

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