Lee Morof's Real Estate Blog

When most of us think of Fourth of July festivities, we think of fireworks and food, especially barbeque.  In fact, the Fourth of July is one of the most popular days of the year for barbequing. Many invite family and friends to their Bloomfield Hills home and throw burgers, hot dogs or ribs on the grill.

Unfortunately, some barbequers unknowingly give their family and friends a healthy dose of bacteria along with the food.  To keep your family and friends healthy over the holiday, while still enjoying this summer activity, follow these meat safety tips at your Bloomfield Hills home:

Avoid cross contamination
When you go to the grocery store to buy meat and other foods, keep the raw meat separated from the rest of the food to lessen the chance of cross contamination. Make sure the raw meat is wrapped in plastic bags, again, separated from other meat and foods. Even packaged raw meat can leak, and you want to keep the juices from seeping onto other food.

Head Home
The summer is hot for most areas of the country. Even if you have air conditioning in your car, you want to go straight home from the grocery store. The longer food is exposed to heat, the more chance it has of gaining a nice bacterial growth. Make sure the grocery store is your only, or last, stop before heading home.

Refrigerate
When it’s hotter than 90 degrees, food needs to be refrigerated within the first hour of leaving the store. If it’s less than 90 degrees, you have two hours. Freeze any meat or poultry you won’t be using in a day or two, but make sure everything is refrigerated as quickly as possible.

Thaw Carefully
If you’re going immediately from thawing to the grill, you can use a microwave to defrost. However, for the safest methods, either slowly thaw in the refrigerator over a period of a day or two, or use cold water and sealed packages.

Transport Cold
If you aren’t barbequing at your home and need to transport the meat, transfer the meat immediately to an insulated cooler (40 degrees or below) right before leaving home. As well, make sure you keep the cooler out of direct sun, which can reduce its efficiency at keeping food cold.

Serve Hot
Keep the food hot (140 degrees or warmer) until it’s served. You can set the meat at the side of the grill rack or on a warming tray. Use a clean serving platter rather than the same plate that held the raw meat.

By following the above tips, you’ll help your family and friends have a happy, healthy Fourth of July.

Looking for Bloomfield Hills real estate to celebrate next year’s Fourth of July in? I can help. Call me at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com for more information.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Attorney
RE/MAX Showcase Homes
Birmingham, Michigan
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
Call:  248-514-2640