Summertime Food Safety – Helpful Tips and Reminders

There’s nothing like enjoying a great meal outdoors, whether it’s a backyard BBQ, picnic at the lake or a camping trip, food just tastes better outdoors.

Just remember, preparing and serving food on hot summer days requires a little extra care. Harmful bacteria grow more quickly in warm, humid conditions. To keep things safe, here are my top summertime food safety tips for Prepping, Cooking and Serving food.

Summertime Food Safety When Preparing Food

Follow general good hygiene.

At the risk of stating the obvious, always wash hands, secure hair, avoid coughing or sneezing over food, cover cuts, use clean utensils and keep work surfaces clean.

Keep perishable food cold with Pro cooler tips.

Whether going from the grocery store to home or from home to a cottage or campsite, it’s important to keep perishable foods cold. Use a cooler and keep it at 4°C (40°F) or cooler. A plug-in cooler or cooler filled with ice will do the trick. Cool the cooler before using and keep it out of direct sunlight. And if you can, use separate coolers for food and drinks so you don’t have to open the food cooler every time someone wants a beverage. Freeze food and beverages that can be frozen and keep the cooler full or fill air space with additional ice, towels or crumpled newspaper.

Use two cutting boards.

Summer or winter, it’s always a good idea to use one knife and cutting board for meats and a separate knife and board for fruits, vegetables and breads. I like using dishwasher friendly cutting boards for meat and wooden cutting boards for other items.

Wash produce but not poultry or meat.

Wash and scrub fruits and veggies in cool tap water before eating. This includes washing produce like melons before you slice or peel them.

Meat or poultry do not need to be rinsed. In fact, ManitobaChicken.ca says rinsing chicken before cooking can actually spread germs in your kitchen. If contaminated droplets come into contact with your counter or sink, you increase your risk of food borne illness.

Summertime Food Safety When Cooking Food

Marinate safely.

Marinate meat and poultry in the refrigerator or in a cooler filled with ice–not on the counter. If you want to use some of the marinade for basting or as a sauce, set some aside before you add it to raw meat or poultry. Throw out marinade that’s been in contact with raw meat or poultry.

Keep raw and cooked foods separately.

Prevent cross-contamination of raw foods with ready to eat foods. Use clean plates and cutlery when you finish cooking meat, poultry or seafood.

Use a digital meat thermometer.

Raw meat, poultry, and seafood must be cooked to a safe internal temperature to eliminate harmful bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. Use a digital food thermometer to check the temperature. Health Canada’s recommended temperatures for summer’s most popular foods are:

Summertime Food Safety When Serving Food

Serving food outdoors on hot summer days can be especially tricky. As the temperature rises so does the growth of harmful bacteria and the risk of food borne illness. As a result, do not keep prepared food including meat, fish, poultry, dips, salads, cut fruits and vegetables out for more than one hour on hot summer days. If you’re inside or celebrating when things are cooler, you have two hours.

Set a clear serving time.

Let guests know at what time food will be served – one hour if outside or two hours if in an air-conditioned house. This will give everyone enough time to enjoy their food and lets them know you’re taking their well-being seriously. You can also serve food at different stages. Keep the desserts cool until the main dishes have been put back in the fridge.

Keep hot food hot.

Use warming trays, chafing dishes, insulated dishes or crock pots to keep hot foods hot. Keep grilled meats on the grill with indirect heat either by placing on a high warming shelf or placing on the side of the grill where the burner is off while keeping the burner next to it on.

Keep cold food cold.

Nest cold foods in ice trays. Serve food in two small bowls instead of one big one. That way you can keep one in a cooler or fridge until the first one is finished. Just be sure to swap the entire bowl, instead of just refilling the nearly empty bowl with fresh food.

Manage leftovers safely.

Refrigerate or freeze leftovers right away. Cool hot foods quickly by dividing into smaller portions then refrigerate or freeze. Food that has sat out for more than an hour in hot, outdoor conditions or more than two hours inside, should be tossed.

Finally, while we’re on the topic of safety, remember to also consider safety recommendations to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. For the latest recommendations, visit the Manitoba Government COVID-19 Information Page or the equivalent agency for your area.

Favorite Summertime Recipes

Now that everyone’s well-being is taken care of, here are some of my favorite summertime recipes for the grill or to take to a cottage.

Manitoba Chicken’s Spanish Chicken Skewers with Yogurt Sauce and Tomato & Basil Bread Salad. Chicken skewers are always a hit, they’re fast and tasty and this bread salad (panzanella) is a perfect side.

Homemade Hamburgers, Buns and Kohlrabi Kale Slaw. Homemade burgers are a classic, can’t let summer go by without them.

TooBusyLivin’s Lemon Basil Chicken Burgers  and Roasted Beet Salad. We really love burgers and I’m betting we’re going to love this lemon basil chicken burger from fellow MB blogger Shawna at TooBusyLivin.

Homemade Chicken Caesar Salad – When you want a salad that’s a complete meal.  Lunch or dinner, it works for both.

Creamy Chicken and Nettle Pasta – I love surprising people with this dish when I visit them at their lake. It’s so much fun when you’re at a cabin and the nettles are right there! Of course it’s equally delicious with spinach or kale.

Saskatoon Whole Grain Salad – A surprisingly filling and beautiful salad to celebrate fresh, local fruits and veggies. A great contribution to any potluck.

This article was written in paid partnership with the Manitoba Chicken Producers.  As always, opinions are my own and a sincere reflection of life in my home.

Getty Stewart is a Professional Home Economist,  speaker, frequent media guest and writer dedicated to putting good food on tables and agendas.  She is the author of several recipe books on enjoying and preserving fruit, Founder of Fruit Share, a mom and veggie gardener.

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