Picnics on Ice

The summer picnicking season is upon us. With the Fourth of July fast approaching after a series of salmonella scares, I think it is a good idea to review some of the basics of safe food preparation and storage. Reducing the risk of food borne illness at a picnic is simple, just remember the USDA's four essential elements of food safety: clean, separate, cook, and chill.Clean: Always wash your hands before handling food, both during cooking and after food has been prepared. If you don't have access to soap and running water, liquid hand sanitizer is a great alternative. It is also important to wash fruits and vegetables, especially ones that have been in contact with soil, like melons. Slicing an unwashed melon can contaminate the fruit by transferring bacteria from the outer surface to the inside.

Separate: Keep raw meat separate from vegetables and prepared, ready-to-eat foods. If you are storing raw meat with other foods, be sure to keep the meat enclosed in separate containers or re-sealable plastic bags. Store the containers with the meat beneath other food to reduce the risk of contamination.

Cook: Cook food thoroughly to the correct temperature. A hamburger is done when the internal temperature reaches 160øF, or it is no longer pink in the middle. Chicken is done at 165øF, or when the meat is white all the way through and the juices run clear. Cook steaks to an internal temperature of 145øF, or until medium rare. If cooked food will be eaten hot, keep it hot (above 135øF). If the food will be eaten cold, chill it quickly and keep it cold. If food will be eaten within four hours of being heated to 135øF or within four hours of being cooled to 41øF (your fridge should be somewhere between 30-40øF), you don't need to worry about the temperature. (Take-out food should be eaten within two hours of purchase or chilled as soon as possible.) If all of the hot food won't be eaten within four hours, or you just want to be extra careful, food can be kept hot on the grill away from the direct heat of the coals. Cold food can be kept cold in a cooler with ice. And speaking of ice.

Chill: Sue Summerville, a Food Safety instructor in the Business and Agri-industries Department at Parkland College has some great ideas to make keeping your picnic on ice simple and convenient. She recommends chilling your cooler before you load it up for the big event. Smaller coolers can be placed in the refrigerator overnight, and larger coolers can be filled with ice several hours in advance. You should drain any melted ice before filling the cooler with food. She also suggests putting your ice in re-sealable bags before placing it in the cooler. This allows the ice to lay flat on the bottom and keeps your food from going swimming in the melted ice water. Reusable gel ice packs are also a good option. My personal favorite, though, is her recommendation to freeze plastic bottles of water or other beverages before adding them to the cooler, being sure to leave enough room in the bottle for the frozen liquid to expand. That way your food stays cold, and you have a refreshingly cold beverage to enjoy with your meal.

Perhaps you are thinking, "But, all I want to do is take a sandwich and eat in the park!" Angela Fraser from the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at North Carolina State University has some suggestions for food that doesn't need to be kept hot or cold to take along for an outdoor snack. She recommends taking peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; dried fruit and nuts or fresh fruit; unopened cans of fish, meat, or fruit; cakes; cookies; or crackers for a worry-free picnic.

Perhaps you are thinking instead that people lived without refrigeration and ice for thousands of years and ate food and were, usually, just fine. I have spent many summers working as a field biologist, carrying my lunch (which could range from a safe peanut butter sandwich to a potentially dangerous fried egg with rice and beans) with me in intense heat for 6-8 hours before sitting down to eat. I have always been just fine, too. Even so, it is better to be safe than sorry. Use the simple guidelines above when planning picnics this summer, and you will only have to worry about protecting your food from the ants.