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Summer Cookout Tips

Summer Cookout Tips

Now that summer is here, it means grilling season is upon us and people are firing up for summer barbecues. Whether you enjoy cooking out for weekday dinners or hosting backyard parties, proper food safety is crucial. The Zoomget team has put together a few tips to ensure you prioritize safety at your summer barbecues!

Meat Handling Tips

Meat is one of the most commonly grilled foods, whether burgers, hot dogs, steaks, or shish kabobs. Raw meats can sometimes have hazardous bacteria and juices that may cause contamination to cooked foods. We suggest using separate plates and utensils for raw and cooked foods. Maintaining a proper food temperature is also crucial for safety. All raw meat should be refrigerated or frozen upon bringing it home, and you should be aware of the proper cooking temperature prior to preparation. It is recommended to store raw meet at 40 degrees or lower to prevent the growth of bacteria.

Ensuring meat packaging does not have any leaks or tears is also important, as this could potentially contaminate other food in your fridge or freezer. Additionally, using a meat thermometer is key in ensuring meat reaches the proper temperature for consumption. When avoiding the risks of cross-contamination, handle uncooked meat with disposable gloves. Nitrile, vinyl, and latex gloves are all suitable food-safe gloves for food preparation. The best disposable glove option includes vinyl gloves because they are meant to be changed frequently. It is also important to change gloves when touching raw or cooked meat to avoid the spread of bacteria.

Jalapeños and Hot Peppers

For those who enjoy foods with a kick, such as peppers, safe handling is crucial. A pepper’s heat comes from the amount of capsaicin in the particular variety of pepper. While peppers are a great way to add delicious spice to marinades and dishes, there is potential for burn or irritation without the proper handling. Disposable gloves are a great solution to ensure protection. Skin irritation may potentially occur when cutting peppers, as the seeds and veins are what provide the spicy kick. Eye irritation can come from touching your eyes without washing your hands. Considering higher concentrations of capsaicin are used as a pesticide, it is important to handle peppers of any heat with care.

Latex gloves are a suitable choice for protection as long as those consuming the food are not concerned with latex allergies. Vinyl gloves are also suitable if latex allergies are a concern. Vinyl gloves are lightweight and easy to change when handling different types of food.

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