[Artemisia] Tips for safe camp food cooking - Sharing

[Freydis the Good]

It's the middle of camping season and still having fresh in mind the
Medieval Iron Chef Competition I competed in at Uprising I found this
AWESOME advice today in the news and thought I'd share.  I know many
people are going to be camping this coming weekend and I found it to
be sensible advice.  Bringing extra coolers in this heat with plenty
of ice is also a good idea.  ;-)

SMILES!!!
HL Freydis


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Tips for safe camp food cooking
by Jean Enersen/ KING 5 News

Full article and video can be found at:
http://www.ktvb.com/news/health/Tips-for-safe-camp-food-cooking-99175549.html


It's the time of year for barbecues and cookouts. But before you pack
the cooler and fire up the grill, there are some things you should
know to keep you and your family from getting sick.

Ah, the sizzle of the grill, but look out for food-borne illness. It's
common in summer months.

"It's extremely serious and especially if you're camping and you're
far away from a hospital or a clinic where you can get medical care,
you really want to be careful about that," said Christine McClendon,
dietitian.

One of the biggest mistakes is putting everything in one cooler.

"And that creates a huge potential for cross contamination and
potentially infection," said McClendon.

Don't let things sit for too long. Longer than two hours is considered
the danger zone if food's not kept colder than 40 degrees. The rule
also applies to take out.

"Unless you can keep things really hot like you would on a stove or
cold like you would in a fridge, once you hit that two hour mark,
you're really entering dangerous territory and you're putting yourself
at risk for infection," said McClendon.

* The less time you handle raw meat, the better. Keep prep time to a
minimum, pack pre-packaged or prepared foods.

* Bring foods that are less perishable like trail mix, pre-cooked
meats or juice boxes that don't need to be refrigerated.

* Don't re-use marinades that have come in contact with raw meat. And
if you suspect contamination, don't eat it or make sure your grill is
hot and cook thoroughly.

"If you're not sure, then at least cook it to a really, really high
temperature and preferably use a meat thermometer to indicate that
it's been cooked well enough," said McClendon.

Another tip: keep drinks in their own cooler. It's opened more and the
ice will melt faster. Also, with so many hands going in, don't put ice
from the cooler in your drink.

After eating contaminated food, people can develop anything from mild
gastrointestinal symptoms to a life-threatening disease.