Enter your details and one of our expert staff will contact you at your preferred time to discuss your requirements.
To avoid potential cross-contamination and the risk of foodborne illness, follow these steps:
Plan ahead. Thawing of meats should be done in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Sealed packages can be thawed in cold water. Microwave defrosting is acceptable if the food item is placed immediately on the grill. Meat should be completely thawed before grilling so that it cooks more evenly.
Bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter are killed by heat. Raw meat must be cooked properly to a safe internal temperature to avoid foodborne illness. Colour alone is not a reliable indicator that meat is safe to eat. Meat can turn brown before all the bacteria are killed, so use a digital food thermometer to be sure.
To check the temperature of meat that you are cooking on the barbecue, take it off the grill and place it in a clean plate. Insert the digital food thermometer through the thickest part of the meat.
For hamburgers, you should insert the digital food thermometer through the side of the patty, all the way to the middle. Make sure to check each piece of meat or patty because heat can be uneven.
Remember to always clean your digital food thermometer in warm, soapy water between temperature readings to avoid cross-contamination.
Cool food by using shallow containers, so that it cools quickly. Discard any food left out for more than two hours. On hot summer days, don't keep food at room temperature for more than one hour. Remember to keep food out of the temperature danger zone of 4°C to 60°C (40°F to 140°F). When in doubt, throw it out!