Chef Nico Reynolds shares his top tips for the perfect BBQ this June bank holiday
Together Put Safefood, Nico Tips And For Safe Weekend Tasty Top This Has With His Together A Bbq Chef Reynolds,
With plenty of sunshine forecast for the June bank holiday weekend, households across the country will be breaking out the BBQs.
It’s hard to beat an outdoor feast during a fine evening but there are a couple of ground rules to keep in mind when firing up the BBQ. Whether planning a feast of tasty chicken, juicy burgers, or summer salads, it’s important to be informed on how to best cook and store your food.
Ahead of the long weekend, Safefood ambassador and chef Nico Reynolds has shared his top tips for the perfect drama-free BBQ.
1. Keep perishable foods like salads, coleslaw and quiche in your fridge until you are ready to serve them.
2. Burgers, sausages and kebabs, pork and poultry must be cooked all the way through — take your food off the heat, pop the thermometer in the thickest part of the meat and when it reaches 75 degrees Celsius, then it’s cooked and ready to eat. Steaks can be served 'rare' as harmful bacteria are on the outside only (and not in the centre).
3. If you like to marinate your meat, make sure any marinade used on raw meat is not then used as a sauce to coat vegetables or cooked meat as it will contain raw meat bacteria.
4. If you choose to barbeque any frozen food, it must be firstly completely thawed on the bottom shelf of your fridge before you cook it.
5. When handling raw meat and poultry, wash your hands thoroughly and frequently, most importantly before going on to prepare salads and other ready-to-eat foods.
6. Once your meat is cooked thoroughly, make sure to keep cooked meat separate from raw meat and to use separate chopping boards, cooking utensils and plates. Harmful bacteria in raw meat, poultry and their juices can cross-contaminate cooked food and lead to food poisoning, something your family won’t thank you for.
7. If there are leftovers from your barbeque, allow the food to cool before refrigerating, however make sure to refrigerate food within two hours of cooking. Always remember with leftovers — if in doubt, throw it out.
- For more information visit www.safefood.net/news