Outdoor food prep can be risky

Summer--even this late in the season--means hamburgers and hot dogs sizzling on the grill. It also offers challenges in safe food preparation and storage. According to a recent national survey, 56% of outdoor chefs do not know the proper temperature to grill meats to, ensuring they are cooked thoroughly, in addition, 33% leave perishables outside, unrefrigerated in hot weather, for more than two hours, creating a perfect environment for bacterial growth.

Lona Sandon, a registered dietitian and assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Tex as Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, offers the following summer food safety tips:

* Make sure grilled meats are cooked to at least 160[degrees]F. Purchase an inexpensive meat thermometer for your grill. Pack plenty of ice in coolers to store raw and leftover foods. Leftovers should be refrigerated within an hour of cooking during hot weather.

* Wash hands before digging into the picnic basket. If there is no running water, bring along moist towelettes or antibacterial hand sanitizer.

* Use color-coded coolers and utensils to keep raw meats separate from cooked meats and other prepared foods.

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