Cooking outside in any season requires food safety guidelines to prevent food borne illness from the growth of harmful bacteria. Food safety tips for outdoor grilling are the same as cooking in the kitchen only more so, since outdoor temperatures, transporting food, and lack of water increase the chances of germs and bacteria.

Starting at the grocery store, be sure to buy meats that are fresh and have a sell-by date several days away. Beef should be pink, not browning, poultry should be pinkish white, and fish be clear and not slimy or have a fishy smell. Also, make the meat section youre last stop in the store, especially if you have a long shopping list, ensuring less time at room temperatures between the shelf and your fridge. Some grocery stores will provide ice upon request for delicate seafood and its a good idea to wrap and bag meat products separately from the rest of your groceries.

At home, there are several rules for food preparation and storage. Dont expose raw meat juices to your fruits and vegetables by always using separate cutting boards, utensils, and storage containers. If youre marinating meat, be sure to keep it in the refrigerator during marinating and if youre using a plastic bag, place in a casserole of other solid dish, even if the bag is zip locked. Also, any dishes and utensils that have been in contact with raw meat should be put in a hot soapy sink of bleach water to soak before washing.

Always, always wash your hands before, after, and between food handling. Your kitchen should be stocked with antibacterial dishwashing and hand soap, a disinfecting kitchen cleanser, and bleach.

When youre ready to make those burgers, ask someone to turn on the water for you after youre finished shaping the patties so you dont spread raw meat bacteria to the faucets on your sink. Wash your hands thoroughly before carrying the burgers out to the grill. Immediately put the platter used for transporting the raw burgers in the sink with some bleach water. You only need a couple of tablespoons per sink of water to disinfect. Use a clean plate to put the cooked burgers on.

After grilling, immediately soak and wash the grill grid and it doesnt hurt to use aluminum foil on the grill either. Just poke few holes with a fork to let the heat and smoke through for that great hickory smoked flavor. Plus washing right away prevents the meat and grease from drying and hardening, becoming almost impossible to remove. When you get ready to fire up the grill, place the grid on for a few minutes after the grill is hot before putting on the meat so the heat can kill any germs you might have missed.

Cooked food should not remain at room temperature for more than two hours and one hour is a better rule. So eat food right after cooking and put left overs away right after eating. Your mother was right, cleaning up is easier if you do it right away and safer too.

Make sure you cook all meat to the appropriate internal temperature. Buy a good meat thermometer. A guideline for internal temperatures will most likely be on the package or you can find a list in a cookbook or online. Print it out and tape it inside your cabinet or pantry door.

If you're going on a picnic, be sure to pack cold foods in ice such as potato salad, mayonnaise, deviled eggs, and any other food that requires refrigeration. Be sure to be on the look out for flies and other insects and keep food covered until its time to eat. You might even get one of the kids to stand guard with a swatter. Recover food as soon as everyone is served. Be safe, not sorry.