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Be Safe, Stay Safe And Have A Great Barbeque!

Canadians love to have a great barbeque every now and then, all year round! In fact, most of them tend to hold a barbeque when the weather begins to get warm. This article aims to share with BBQ enthusiasts some safety tips, which are essential for a successful barbeque cookout. We have to understand that everything we do has a certain risk to it. Knowing what they are and how to prevent it is the key to the aforementioned success. Read on to ensure you grasp the right knowledge to make sure nothing goes wrong, as you work hand in hand with your BBQ caterers to get the most out of your cooking!

Lower the chances of cross-contamination

Raw meat and vegetables must not come into direct contact with each other. Vegetables can be tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage and corn. If they come in ready-to-cook packages, make sure they are packed separately and the juices from the raw meat do not seep into the food items. If there is food that needs to be prepared on the day itself, make sure that your set of utensils are divided accordingly to handle raw and cooked food. Even after you cook something, do not place it near the raw ones as bacteria can still travel over the safely cooked ones.

Cooking your food thoroughly, making sure it is 100% safe to eat

Before you bite into anything that you presumed is cooked (just by the looks of something), pause and think again. Raw meat has to be cooked thoroughly, ensuring that its internal temperature reaches desirable levels. Otherwise, it might still carry some of the common bacteria such as the infamous E.coli. Color alone is not enough or reliable to say that something is cooked. Meat can turn brown quickly when it comes into contact with high temperatures. Hence, use a digital thermometer to get more accurate readings before coming to a conclusion.

Keeping cooked food warm and serving them

If you would like to warm up your cooked meat or let them simmer just after their cooked. Place at the sides of your grill (not over the main cooking area) to prevent them from getting overcooked. When it is time to serve them, use a fresh and clean plate instead. Never ever serve the cooked meat on a used plate for raw meat.

Recommended durations to retain leftovers

You can cool cooked food quickly by using shallow containers. If the food has been left to cool for more than 2 hours, it is time to dispose whatever remains. During summer, one hour is the recommended time to dispose leftovers, if it has been left to sit in room temperature. If you are really unsure how long the cooked food has been left outside, just throw it away and you can easily cook another fresh batch for consumption.

Choose a suitable location

Ensure that the allocated area for your barbeque cookout is cleared of any possible fire hazards or obstructions. This step is very important as many individuals have caused fires to their homes, garages, patios and other properties because they failed to place the grill or cooker in the right location. When in doubt, consult the expertise and advice of a BBQ caterer as they might come down personally to better understand your requirements and provide follow-up services. They might even do the aforementioned for free, if you have rented their equipment in the first place.

Without a strong sense of safety awareness, undesirable safety hiccups might occur. Save yourself the time and trouble to rectify such problems and situate your loved ones out of danger, as well as for the peace of mind.