Eighty-one million Americans have taken part in a barbecue during the last year. Many of them were in celebration of Independence Day. Whether you’re hosting a party or attending one, be sure to be safe when using the grill and handling food.
Keep your grill, your home, and your loved ones safe by following these recommendations from the U.S. Fire Administration:
Position the grill well away from siding and deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.
Place the grill a safe distance from lawn games, play areas, and foot traffic.
Keep children and pets away from the grill area by declaring a 3-foot “kid-free zone” around the grill.
Put out several long-handled grilling tools to give the chef plenty of clearance from heat and flames when cooking food.
Periodically remove grease and fat buildup in trays below the grill so it cannot be ignited by a hot grill.
Use only outdoors! If used indoors, or in any enclosed spaces such as tents, barbecue grills pose both fire and carbon monoxide hazards.
Once your food is cooked and fresh from the grill, consider these suggestions from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service to ensure your food stays hot and healthy:
Keep Hot Food Hot: After cooking meat and poultry on the grill, keep it hot until served — at 140 °F or warmer. Keep cooked meats hot by setting them to the side of the grill rack, not directly over the coals where they could overcook. At home, the cooked meat can be kept hot in an oven set at approximately 200 °F, in a chafing dish or slow cooker, or on a warming tray.
Serving the Food: When taking food off the grill, use a clean platter. Don’t put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry. Any harmful bacteria present in the raw meat juices could contaminate safely cooked food. In hot weather (above 90 °F), food should never sit out for more than 1 hour.
Leftovers: Refrigerate any leftovers promptly in shallow containers. Discard any food left out more than 2 hours (1 hour if temperatures are above 90 °F).
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