Food Handling and Preparation Tips

Are you giving your grill a workout this summer? July was officially National Grilling Month, but that’s no reason to stash the grill back in the garage on August 1! We’ve talked about some easy grilling tips for beef and pork, and you can use those same techniques when grilling with other meats (like chicken, turkey, and lamb).

Food handling and preparation just might be the most important step in serving a healthy dinner. Safe food handling and preparation go a long way towards minimizing the risk of food-borne illnesses in your kitchen.

Keep these handling and preparation tips in mind for a successful grilling season.

Thaw frozen meats safely

This means a little bit of planning ahead, but it is completely worth it. Take your meat out of the freezer the night before you are planning to cook it, and let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Forget the night before? That morning will be just fine, too. If you’re really pressed for time, you can thaw meat under cool running water or in the microwave. Watch your time in the microwave, as it can start cooking parts of the meat before the center is completely thawed. Never thaw meat in hot water or on the counter. Leaving meat at room temperature or at high temperatures (like in hot water) can lead to bacterial growth and potentially make the meat unsafe to eat.

Keep all meats refrigerated until you are ready to cook them

Using a marinade? Mix your marinade ingredients, take the meat out of the refrigerator, put it in the marinade, and pop everything back into the refrigerator until the meat is ready to cook. Doing some prep work before dinner? Do all your cutting and chopping, and then stash the prepared meat back in the refrigerator until dinner time.

Use Good Hygiene in the Kitchen

It’s important to wash your hands before and after you handle any raw meats. You should also use separate cutting boards and utensils for meats and any other foods (vegetables, breads, etc) to minimize the risk of contamination with bacteria. All fresh vegetables and fruits should also be washed before use, regardless of where they came from or how they were grown. When taking your meats out to the grill, be sure to use one plate to carry the raw meat out to the grill, and a clean plate to bring the cooked meat off the grill.

Use a Meat Thermometer

I know, we’re all great cooks, and we can tell just by looking at the outside of a steak or a chicken breast if it’s cooked enough. Right? Well, probably not. The idea of using a meat thermometer makes cooking sound pretty boring, but trust me, it can make the difference between a steak that is cooked well, a steak that is tough as leather, and a steak that will leave you running for the bathroom in just a few hours. Using a thermometer can be very helpful, especially when you’re cooking a few different pieces of meat that are different thicknesses. Start with the thermometer in the thinnest piece, take those off then they are done, and move your thermometer to the thicker pieces. This way, the thinner pieces get taken off the heat when they are cooked and don’t get left on to dry out. And the thicker pieces get left on as long as they need to stay, without the risk of serving up an undercooked piece of chicken.

FoodSafety.gov has an easy-to-use chart that lists the minimum recommended internal temperatures for different types of meat. Print it out for easy reference in your kitchen and near your grill!

There are plenty of different varieties of meat thermometers. I prefer one with a digital read out, a long cord between the temperature probe and the read out, and an alarm I can set for the target temperature. This digital thermometer from Oneida has fit the bill for me, and I love it!

Enjoy Yourself!

What’s cooking without a little fun? Browse Pinterest, your favorite blogs and websites, and magazines to find new recipes, experiment with marinades and different flavors, use a new seasoning mix or sauce (like this Adobo BBQ sauce from Best Boy & Co), try a new cooking technique. Get your whole family involved to help prep, cook, and clean up. A little creativity and experimentation in the kitchen can make meal times a whole lot more enjoyable!

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