Tips for a Bacteria-Free Barbecue

It's the ideal summer. Sunny weather, a few friends and that rich and smoky

smell of the barbecue. But although eating outdoors sounds fun, you can get

food poisoning if you do not follow safety rules. One of the main problems is

that people just do not cook their food for long enough. The outside of the food

looks ready but the inside isn't, and that leads to many cases of food poisoning.

So here are some tips to keep you safe.

Put food in the fridge or a cool bag with icepacks until it is needed.

Anything which is thick or has bones should be cooked slowly in the oven first,

then finished off on the barbecue, so that it will still have that smoky flavour.

If food starts to burn on the outside during cooking, raise the grill or reduce

the heat of the coals, so the food has time to cook on the inside.
Take care to cook until the juices run clear. Under-cooked burgers, sausages

and poultry can be a serious hazard.

Eat the food as soon as it is ready.

Keep raw and cooked meats apart and don't handle cooked foods with utensils

that have touched raw meats.

to reduce—to lower, cut down

hazard—a danger

utensils—cooking tools, e.g. knives, forks, prongs 2.7 48

Read the leaflet on page 20, then answer the questions.

1. What is this leaflet about?

2. a) What is a common cause of food poisoning?

b) Write down two tips that can prevent this from happening.

3. How could you make sure you did not touch raw and cooked foods with the

same utensils?

4. You are planning to have a picnic barbecue away from home. How can you keep

the raw food fresh before you use it?