Summertime Grubbin: Keep Cold Foods Cold and Hot Foods Hot
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Why yes, food!
But if your food isn't insulated properly, there's a good chance that it's turned into a bacteria breeding ground -- and this could mean big trouble for you and your stomach. How do you keep your picnic from becoming a health hazard? In a recent Webcast, Heidi Skolnik, MS, CDN, FACSM; Sports Nutrition Consultant to the New York Giants and Mets, and Laura Pensiero, RD; Recipe Works enlighten us on the good, the bad, and the ugly as it relates to healthy summertime eating.
What are some of the dangers of picnicking in the summer?
HEIDI SKOLNIK, RD: Food safety. There is nothing that can ruin a great day out than having really poor stomach ailments. In fact, over 900,000 cases of food poisoning are reported each year. It's not a small incidence, so it's something to pay attention to. The real thing to remember is to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. First thing, you want to pack it right away. Don't lay everything out and then start packing because that leaves it out to the air. The Styrofoam is not even cold enough or insulated enough. Get an insulated bag, pack it with ice. Pack the foods that you need to keep coldest on the bottom. Make sure that the top fits snugly, and that you can really keep those cold foods cold.
What can go wrong with foods that get too hot?
LAURA PENSIERO, RD: Basically, it's the ideal environment for bacteria to grow and multiply, so the minute you get out of a zone that's supposed to be cold, usually over 40 degrees, or a zone that's supposed to be hot, if you dip under that, you've created the perfect environment for bacteria to grow.
HEIDI SKOLNIK, RD: The basic guidelines for most foods is that if it's out for more than an hour, then you've got to get rid of it if it's over 85 degrees. If it's under 85 degrees, then up to two hours. That's it.
Don't Touch That...Utensil?
HEIDI SKOLNIK, RD: The most important thing is that when you are doing grilling or using any kind of raw meat, you don't want to use the same utensil that you used on the raw meat. Once that meat is cooked, any kind of disease or food borne illness will be killed. If you then take that utensil though and use it on your salad, you've just taken all those microorganisms and put them in your cold salad.
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