Tailgate parties are all-day food fests and tons of fun with great friends and food and some good natured bickering about who will win the game thrown in.
Without proper care, food poisoning can be an uninvited guest to your tailgating party. Here are some tips to keep guests and food safe:
- Choose items to pack that don’t need to be put on ice or kept cold.
- Keep raw foods separate from other foods in their own cooler, if possible.
- Keep your cooler temperature to 40º with ice or ice packs and during hot weather and put your tightly closed cooler in your air conditioned car instead of a hot trunk.
- Keep items in the cooler until they are needed and for grilled items, only take them out when you’re ready to throw them on the grill.
- Don’t worry about looking macho, use a meat thermometer to make sure meat is thoroughly cooked before serving, especially important when cooking on an unfamiliar portable grill – Hamburger to 160º; chicken to 170º.
- Don’t let food sit out more than 2 hours, 1 hour if the outdoor temperate is over 90º
- Any food that can’t be kept cold until you get home with what ice remains in the cooler should be thrown away.
- Cleanup with anti-bacterial towelettes and use hand sanitizer liberally.
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