Perfect Picnics - Frugal Food Safety Tips


Summer is finally here and for a lot of us that means heading out to the lake or to the park for a picnic with friends or family.

Unfortunately, if we're not careful when we plan, transport and serve that picnic, our outing might not end up happily.

Here are some tips to remember when planning an outdoor meal:

1. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Bacteria multiply quickly at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees. Foods that have been kept at unsafe temperatures are a prime source of foodborne illnesses.

2. Plan ahead and try to take foods that don't spoil so quickly. At any rate, don't eat anything that's been sitting out for more than an hour, especially if the temperature is over 80.

3. Try to take only the amount of food that will be eaten, so there will be no leftovers.

4. Pack your food with ice or cold packs in an insulated cooler. Place foods that will be eaten last in the bottom. You can make your own blocks of ice by freezing water in milk cartons or other plastic containers.

Place ice blocks or cold packs between containers of food, never just place containers of food on top of ice.

5. You might want to bring 2 coolers -- 1 for drinks, because it will be opened more often, and 1 for the food, that can be set in the shade and kept closed until needed.

6. If you're planning to cook hamburgers at the picnic site, shape your meat into patties and freeze before putting into the cooler. Take along a meat thermometer to be sure you cook the meat to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees.

7. An extra zip-top bag full of ice can be placed in the top of the cooler. The extra ice will come in handy for the trip home. If your day is a long one, and the ice melts the cold water can come in handy, also.

8. Carry your cooler inside your car, instead of in your hot trunk and be sure to place it in a shady spot and maybe even cover it with a blanket when you reach your destination. Open it only when necessary.

9. Instead of bringing whole jars of condiments, pack what you will need into smaller plastic containers.

10. Bring lots of clean utensils for serving as well as eating. Pack pre-moistened towelettes and paper towels for easy cleanup.

11. And remember this rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding leftovers: When in doubt, throw it out!

About The Author

Cyndi Roberts has been happily married to her best friend for 34 years and is a proud mother of 3. In her newsletter, "1 Frugal Friend 2 Another" she uses her years of experience as a wife, mother and chief budget officer to help others learn how to "live the good life...on a budget!" To subscribe, visit her online at http://www.cynroberts.com

editor@cynroberts.com

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Cooking Information:

Related Articles

The Art of the Marinade
It's a sad fact that these days it has become almost essential to marinade most cuts of meat, unless you intend to casserole them.I'll go into why that is the case a bit later on, but for the time being let's just examine why we use marinades at all.
Two for One Dinners: Pork
If you find leftovers boring, uninviting or downright "yuck," then here are some ideas to put the "zing" back into mealtime. With a little creativity your home-cooked meal can easily become a delicious meal another night.
Wok this Way! (Part 2 of 5) Selecting a Wok
As mentioned in Part 1 of the series, woks come in different sizes ranging from 10 to 32 inches in diameter, but a wok that's 11 to 14 inches in diameter should suffice for use in a household kitchen.Woks come in 2 different bottoms, the traditional round-bottomed woks, and the "westernized" flat-bottomed woks.
Troubleshooting Cookies
If your cookies are too tough . .
Digital Kitchen Timers - Never Burn Another Dish
Digital kitchen timers come in many shapes and sizes. Timers are an indispensable tool in the kitchen.
10 Easy Ways To Protect Your Family From Food Poisoning
Do you realize the many ways that bacteria can contaminatethe food YOUR FAMILY eats? Do you know how to tell if yourfood is THOROUGHLY cooked to keep YOUR family safe from FoodPoisoning? Do you know what to do if you or SOMEONE YOU LOVEgets Food Poisoning?When it comes to food preparation and storage, "CommonPractices" could be POISONING your family!Here's how to avoid the problem entirely:1. Plan For SafetyMake sure you have the right equipment, including cuttingboards, utensils, food thermometers, cookware, shallowcontainers for storage, soap, and paper towels.
Do you own an AGA or RAYBURN cooker ?
The Cooker-rail..
Secret of Light and Fluffy Biscuits and Pancakes
Would you like to lose some weight -- in your baking, that is? This one secret ingredient (that you likely already have in your kitchen) is not only inexpensive and healthy, it'll also add a bit of "cloud" to your biscuits and pancakes!And that ingredient is ..
What is Gluten and Why does it Matter?
Gluten is a substance made up of the proteins found in wheat flour that gives bread its structure, strength, and texture. Without these marvelous little proteins, bread would not be bread.
How to Make a Cajun Roux
The process of preparing Cajun food is in no way hurried and involves a layering of flavors which allows each ingredient to maintain its own identity.The foundation of preparing authentic Cajun dishes like gumbo, sauce piquant and etouffee is the Cajun roux (pronounced 'rue').
Kid Birthday Cake Idea Collection - Cake Decorating Without Fear
Our kid birthday cake idea collection makes cake decorating fun and fearless. You don't have to be a pastry chef to create a professional quality cake for your child's birthday or other special event.
Picnic Tips and Tricks
The most difficult task of a picnic is remembering everything. Make a list on the computer of everything you might need for a picnic.
Two for One Dinners: Beans
If you find leftovers boring, uninviting or downright "yuck," then here are some ideas to put the "zing" back into mealtime. With a little creativity your home-cooked meal can easily become a delicious meal another night.
The Joys of Refrigerator Cookies
Baking cookies seem to fill the house with a sense of well being and peace. Perhaps it is the smell of butter, vanilla, and spices emanating from the hot oven.
Family Meal Planning Made Easy
As moms, we have hectic lives. Whether we work out of the home, in the home or look after the kids full time, we definitely have our jobs cut out for us.
Digital Thermometers
Types of digital thermometers & their culinary uses.Thermocouple:Of all food thermometers, thermocouple thermometers reach and display the final temperature the fastest - within 2 to 5 seconds.
Substitutions for Commonly Called for Ingredients
What should you do if you are in the middle of a recipe and realize you are out of an ingredient? You could send your child to the local convenience store for cream cheese and end up having to serve your caviar with Velveeta because to a 13 year old they are both soft cheeses. This really happened when my Mother sent me for cream cheese.
Dutch Oven Cooking Basics
Pioneer CookingWhen you think of a cast iron Dutch oven, what comes to your mind? Pioneer cooking? Stews over the open fire?Of coarse both are true, but they are still very much in use today and as for the Dutch oven, the possibilities are endless.Dutch ovens can be used for frying, baking, boiling, and steaming as well.
7 Things to Consider when Buying a BBQ
BBQ as we all know is an abbreviated form of barbecue or barbeque. The BBQ has assumed so much importance today that you could call it the crown.
10 Smoky Tips To BBQ Food Safely
Cooking outdoors was once only a summer activity shared withfamily and friends. Now more than half of Americans say theyare cooking outdoors year round.