Food and Drink
Food, glorious food!
Four food safety rules
- Clean: wash hands and surfaces often
- Chill: refrigerate promptly
- Cook: cook to proper temperatures
- Separate: don't cross-contaminate
Food Safety Tips for Barbecuing Hamburgers
Canada's food supply is considered one of the safest in the world. Still, statistics show that every year about two million Canadians suffer some form of food poisoning. If you eat undercooked ground beef, for example, it may result in a type of food poisoning that is commonly called hamburger disease. You can minimize your risks by handling and cooking raw ground beef properly. Health Canada's "Food Safety Tips for Barbecuing Hamburgers" is designed to help.
Getting ready for the sizzle
- At the grocery store pack raw meat separately from other products in your bags or cart;
- Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling any raw food - especially meat, poultry and seafood;
- Use hot soapy water to clean all surfaces (refrigerators, counters, dishes, utensils, thermometers, etc.) that come in contact with raw meat;
- Make burger patties thin so that they cook all the way through;
- Do not let ready-to-eat foods like lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, etc. contact raw meat or its juices; and
- Pre-heat the gas barbecue before starting to cook. If using a charcoal barbecue, use enough charcoal and wait until it is glowing red before starting to cook.
Are your burgers ready yet?
- Your beef burger is done at 71°C (160°F);
- Colour alone is not considered a reliable indicator that a burger is safe to eat -- burgers can turn brown before all the disease-causing bacteria are killed;
- Reduce the heat or raise the height of the grill if food starts to burn during cooking -- remember it's the internal temperature of the patty that is important;
- Probe type food thermometers with digital read-outs work best for determining if your burger is done. This will protect your friends and family from foodborne illness and will keep you from over or under cooking the burgers;
- Make sure all patties are ready! If you are cooking more than one, take the temperature in several of the thickest patties;
- Remove the patty from the grill and insert the thermometer through the side, all the way to the middle of the patty;
- Keep on cooking! Continue cooking your burgers if any reading is less than 71°C (160°F);
- Remember to wash the thermometer in between temperature measurements;
- Oven-safe meat thermometers designed for testing whole poultry and roasts during cooking are not suitable for measuring the temperature of beef patties; and
- Use clean utensils and plates when removing cooked meats from the heat source.
It's ready and there's some left over!
- Cover and store leftover cooked food in the refrigerator or cooler within 2 hours; and
- Reheat leftovers to 74°C (165°F).
Food & Outings
Tips for eating well on outings
If you plan to go into the woods or on a sports outing, eat properly and your body will thank you.
- Don't leave on an empty stomach. You will very soon be hit by hunger pangs.
- You don't need to bring a lunch for a one- or two-hour activity, provided that you have taken the time to eat first.
- If the activity is longer than three hours, plan to bring along at least a snack and something to drink.
- Opt for foods that you can eat with your hands. Avoid canned foods and useless or heavy packaging.
- Bring light foods that are easy to carry and provide plenty of energy, such as citrus fruits or carrot and turnip sticks.
- Don't forget something to drink. Exercise causes the body to lose moisture through perspiration and in the air we exhale. Note that fatigue can be a sign of dehydration.
- To keep the environment clean, bring along a small garbage bag that you can throw away at home if there are no litter boxes where you are going.
Packing and eating a safe lunch
- Store your lunch in a cool area until mealtime; if refrigeration is not available, consider the next two tips.
- Use insulated containers or freeze water in empty 35mm film canisters or other leak-proof containers to keep lunches cold.
- Pack a small can or box of juice that has been frozen overnight to both chill your lunch and become a part of the meal.
- Wash fresh fruits and vegetables well before packing.
- Wipe lids of canned fruit juices, puddings and soups if you are going to consume contents directly from cans.
Drinking Water
Drinking water away from home
Drinking water is not usually a concern when at home, but in the great outdoors it can make you ill. If you camp, backpack, sail or if you take trips by bike, canoe or recreational vehicle or even if you use a cottage, ensure the water you drink is safe by following these precautions:
- Avoid drinking water from sources with visible signs of pollution from industry, agricultural practices and other sources.
- Disinfect all water taken from lakes, rivers, mountain streams and ponds no matter how clean it looks.
- Periodically clean and rinse tanks and containers used to store water.
- Water treated with chlorine or iodine remains drinkable for several days without refrigeration, while water treated by other means is best used within two days.
- Use only good drinking water for brushing teeth.
- Have cottage drinking water tested by a provincial or private laboratory if it is not municipally treated. It would be wise to disinfect surface water even if it passes these laboratory tests as not all pathogens can be detected.
- When in doubt, boil the water for 5 minutes.
Cool Treats
There's nothing wrong with enjoying an ice cream cone, but why not let yourself be tempted by ice milk and frozen yogurt, both of which are low in fat yet taste great.
Surprise your children and friends by making home-made popsicles out of real fruit juices or yogurt.
Links
|
