Microwave Musts
Always remember to cover your food when microwaving for safety. Food cooked in the microwave must be turned or rotated during the cooking process.

Boil and Bubble
Reheating foods with sauces, gravy or soups, bring to a boil for at least a minute to kill the bacteria.

Defrosting
It is recommended that when defrosting frozen meats, poultry or seafood, place in the refrigerator and not on the counter. Placing on the counter at room temperature is ideal for bacterial growth. Frozen foods can be defrosted in cold water, if you are in a hurry to cook food.

However, the water should be changed often to make sure that it remains cold. Using the microwave is also a good way to defrost food, but it should be cook immediately after defrosting.

Cooking Food
Never half cook below 140 degrees because this is when bacteria grow. Always make sure that food is cooked above 145 degrees or above to kill all forms of bacteria. If cooking food on the burner first and then transferring to a grill, do it immediately so that bacteria will not grow on the food. Remember danger zone is 40 degrees to 140 degrees.

Throwing Away Old Food
A good way to avoid food poisoning is to clean the refrigerator and throw away food once a week. Wash the refrigerator with hot water and soap to kill any bacteria that may have formed in the refrigerator or on the shelves in the refrigerator.

Serving Food at a Picnic

Keep in mind the following tips when serving food at a picnic:

• Cold food should be at 40 degrees or below
• All perishable foods should be kept chilled until ready to serve
• Keep cold food in a bucket of ice for serving to make sure it doesn’t spoil
• Foods that contain creams, custards or dairy keep refrigerated to avoid food poisoning or eliminate from picnic
• When serving and eating foods remember to eat within a 2 hour period in moderate weather and 1 hour in hot weather. When done, discard food or place in ice chest to keep cold.