This is a week for grilling up steaks, burgers, and hot dogs with the Fourth of July upon us, and everyone’s reminded to take steps to be safe with their food.
USDA food safety specialist Archie Magouslas says keep raw and cooked food on separate platters. He adds watch how long the food is sitting out.
“When it’s warm, like in the 90 area — 90 degrees Fahrenheit — we say don’t leave perishable foods out more than one hour,” Magoulis said. “So that’s a little different than the indoor room temperature of two door hours. So, we have a two hour rule indoor — room temperature around 70 — and one hour outside.”
To grill food, Magouslas says use a food thermometer with steaks at 145 degrees to be cooked, burgers 160 degrees, and poultry at 165 degrees.
Magoulas adds it’s important not to cross contaminate raw foods. Keep them separate.
