Why You Need Onion and Garlic at That Picnic

Add raw onions and garlic to that picnic! Besides the delightful flavors, these sulphury bulbs can make your barbecue more enjoyable... and less dangerous!

One in five samples of commercially prepared beef contain E. coli bacteria. This bacteria is an indicator; when it is present, so are many others that usually make their home in the intestines. Together, they're called fecal coliform bacteria, and they're usually to blame when food poisoning occurs. Cooking beef to a well-done temperature can kill the bacteria. But what about those of us who don't cut our burgers before we eat them? What if Suzy wants hers medium-rare? Never fear! Add a little crushed or minced garlic to the beef while shaping patties. It adds deep flavor and kills the bacteria, letting you enjoy your barbecue.

Slap sliced onion on top of your burger and have a pleasant afternoon. Compounds in the onion are released through the pores after consumption, repelling mosquitos and other biting insects. Resist the urge to grill the onions. Cooking breaks the compounds down into sweeter, less noxious ones. That's tasty for us, but also for the bugs, who will find your skin as tasty as if you hadn't eaten onions at all.

When the Seven Sisters in ancient lore found onions and ate them, their husbands chased them into the sky, creating a constillation. If only those men had known the benefits of onions, they would have thought twice!