Six Tips for Safer Summer Picnics

  Would you believe that July is National Picnic Month? It's also National Horseradish Month and National Cell Phone Courtesy Month. I kid you not.

In any case, the month kicks off with a three-day holiday weekend that offers the perfect opportunity for a picnic.  To ensure that the fun doesn't get spoiled by food-borne illness,  here are a few tips to keep your summer picnic safe:

1. As soap and running water may be in short supply at the picnic site, keep a container of pre-moistened towelettes in your picnic basket so that all food handlers and picnickers can clean their hands before handling food.

2. Use that darling wicker basket to carry plates, flatware, napkins, bread, and bug spray but be sure to transport all chilled foods in thermal coolers with ice packs. Place coolers in the shade and make sure that you have enough ice to keep the contents cold until the food is either consumed or returned to a refrigerator.

3. Don't pre-cook meats ahead of time to "finish" on the grill. Either cook them completely at home and chill them before they go into the cooler or pack them uncooked and cook them thoroughly on site.

4. When rewarming previously-cooked foods, be sure they are thoroughly and evenly heated before serving. Stirring several times while reheating will help distribute the heat more evenly.

5. Foods such as cut vegetables, whole fruit, olives, pickles, hard cheese and condiments can be safely left out for two or three hours. More perishable items like dips, sandwiches, and salads should be kept chilled until they are served.

6. Wash the rind of melons carefully before cutting them up to minimize the transfer of bacteria from the outside of the fruit. Toss cut fruit with a bit of lemon juice and keep chilled until serving.

And finally, a word about mayonnaise, which has an undeservied reputation for being common source of food poisoning. That may have been true in Grandma's day, when mayonnaise was typically made from scratch, often from unpasteurized eggs.  Commercially-prepared mayonnaise-type salad dressings, on the other hand, are made with pasteurized eggs. What's more, they contain acids (such as vinegar) and other ingredients that actually retard the growth of bacteria. 

In other words, adding mayonnaise can actually make your salads SAFER. Nonetheless, keep them chilled until you eat them and discard any left-overs that have been out of the cooler for longer than an hour.

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!