Be Well: How to Safely Prepare Food for Your Barbecue 

<div class="block">Summer time means backyard barbecues and outdoor feasts. But preparing food on a grill can pose risks if items are not cooked thoroughly. Dr. Matthew Harris, pediatric emergency physician, joined &#39;beWell&#39; to offer a few food safety tips. </div>

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Well, many of us will be celebrating Labor Day by going to patriotic house parties or backyard barbecues. And one thing is certain, there's sure to be plenty of food being served, right. But we want to protect our family, protect our guests from any food borne illnesses during those summer parties. So we have pediatric emergency medicine, physician, Doctor Matthew Harris with us right now to talk about some of those food safety tips because in reality, you know, there's a breeding ground for bacteria that happens that we don't really want to think about, right. We really want to make sure we have great opportunity to have a safe, fun filled summer. But avoiding some of those illnesses that can really make you feel unwell. All right. So let's talk about cooking food in advance and whether that's good or bad. I think the biggest thing to know about to keep people safe is preparation, right? We try to avoid, generally speaking, buying pre prepared food that's adjacent to raw food just because of the possibility of cross contamination. We try to avoid buying cans of premade food that are dented or bloated that might have bacteria inside and when you're reheating for this meat, you know, prior to the event, just keep in mind you have to get it up to 175 degrees to really maximize its safety. Ok. And then if we're going to defrost something, what is the best way to safely do that? Yeah. So we're big chicken eaters in our house and often what we'll do is either put it into the fridge the night before or run under some cold water. That really is the best way to do it. If you're going to grill, you can throw it in the microwave just before you grill. Ok. You can do that too. All right. Now, let's talk about marinating a lot of people. You know, you put it in the bag, you let it sit and then you have this extra marinade. Well, I think the biggest issue is cross contamination. So in our house we definitely marinate ahead of time. I think one of the worries is cross contamination. So if you know, you want to use that marinade as a sauce, just keep a little bit on the side and it's not the same marinade you've used, you know, for the chicken or the meat the night before. Ok. And what about throwing things out? Like how long do you know if this has been sitting out and there's some mayonnaise in it or whatever the case may be? When should I just be throwing it? Out. Well, look, some foods are really very shelf stable if you will, if you're indoors and 74 degrees, mayonnaise can stay out for hours and hours. But if you're outside it's quite warm out. Really. I think 1 to 2 hours, especially if it milk or mayonnaise, that's probably the limit. Ok. And now if we are having guests over and one of them seems to be overheated, dizzy, anything like that. How do I handle that kind of situation to make sure they're ok? Yeah, sure. I mean, so certainly whether this is a heat related illness or a food related illness, get them inside, get them a cup of water, get them out of the heat and if the symptoms improve great, they can go on about their day. But obviously if they continue to be dizzy or have any trouble breathing or trouble walking, that might be time to call for MS. Ok. So what is it like in the emergency room? Do you, do you end up seeing lots of people that are dealing with some of the issues we're talking about? You know, so thousands of people are seen every year for food borne illnesses, most of which are relatively benign, but you can feel pretty crummy, nausea, vomiting and belly pain. And right now we are seeing lots of people presenting with heat related illnesses just because of the spike in temperatures. But again, really hydrate. Well, lots of cold water. Try to get some time in some air conditioning, don't stay out in the heat all day and those are great ways to have a wonderful summer but avoiding some of the catastrophe. Dr Matthew Harris. Thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.