The heat is on, and BBQ season has officially arrived! Follow our five tips, and you’re sure to be crowned King (or Queen) of the Grill…provided you don’t burn the chicken!

• Hum a tune – You already know that you need to wash your hands before cooking and after touching raw meat. But did you know that you should wash your hands for 20 seconds? That’s the amount of time it takes to sing two full choruses of "Row, row, row your boat". Washing your hands thoroughly can go a long way to prevent food poisoning. Lather up the suds and start humming.
• Mix up the menu – Think beyond the typical steaks, hamburgers and hot dogs. Try grilling fish, fresh fruit, and even tofu for a change! You’ll find a handful of healthy meal ideas and cooking tips in Over the Grill!
• Have two sets of BBQ tongs. Use one set for handling raw meat, raw fish, and raw poultry. Use the other set for taking cooked food off the grill. This prevents cross contamination between raw and cooked foods and helps to prevent food poisoning. If you don’t have two sets of tongs, then wash them in hot soapy water and sanitize them first before using them to handle cooked food. The same applies to cutting boards and plates.

• Bring out the digital thermometer – You can’t tell if a food is thoroughly cooked just by looking at it. Hamburgers, for example, may be brown in the middle, but may still not be cooked properly. Insert a digital thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, and make sure that it’s at the right temperature before you take it off the grill. Remember to wash the thermometer in hot soapy water between readings. See the temperature chart below. Get more cooking tips in Beware of Undercooked Meat.
• Pack it up – Bacteria grow quickly in food sitting out on your dining room or patio table. So, get packing and refrigerate any leftovers within two hours. The two-hour rule also applies to fruit salad, melons, pasta and rice dishes too.

Temperature chart

To prevent food poisoning, cook your food to these recommended internal temperatures.

Source: www.CanFightBAC.org

You asked: What about carcinogens in barbecued food?

Carcinogens are more likely to be produced when your BBQ is flaring up or smoking. Fat that drips into the BBQ creates smoke. Here’s what you can do to keep your grilling as healthy as possible:

Carcinogens are substances that can cause cancer.

• Grill lean cuts of meat
• Trim off visible fat before grilling
• Avoid charring meat
• Reduce the heat or raise the height of the grill if food is starting to burn
• Keep a spray bottle of water nearby to douse any flare ups
• Pre-cook chicken in the microwave to cut down on the grilling time
• Put plenty of cancer fighting veggies and fruit on the grill – either on skewers or on their own

For More Information

• Beware of Undercooked Meats, by EatRight Ontario
• Food Safety Tips Fact Sheets, by the Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education
• BBQ Food Safety Tips, by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Picnicking, Hiking & Camping Food Safety Tips, by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Food Safety Tips for Barbecuing Hamburgers, by Health Canada
• Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education www.CanFightBAC.org
• Food Safety Information Hotline 1-866-503-7638