It’s not surprising to see July was chosen as National Grilling Month. It’s the perfect time for backyard barbecues. Break out the grill and serve your dad tasty meals, but don’t lose sight of food safety when preparing your dad’s meals and snacks.
Check Dates on Condiments and Ingredients
Continually clean out your dad’s refrigerator and remove expired items. If the Italian dressing expired a year ago, the oil can be rancid and needs to be thrown out. Don’t leave things where your dad might risk it and eat something. Senior home care can help him stay on top of keeping fresh ingredients in the home.
Keep Meats and Dairy Cold
You have to keep meat and dairy items in a refrigerator. If they’re not cold, bacteria will thrive. Only take them out when it’s time to grill.
Once items are cooked, serve them immediately. You cannot leave them out for hours while preparing the rest of the meal. When people have taken what they want, move things to airtight containers or bags. Place those containers in the refrigerator or freezer.
Do Not Risk Your Dad’s Health Through Cross-Contamination
If you are cooking raw burgers or chicken and carrying it to the grill on a platter, do not use that same platter to collect the cooked meat later. Wash and dry it or get a new platter. Cross-contamination is a surefire way to end up with food poisoning.
You’ve marinated chicken in a teriyaki sauce all night. After removing the chicken, you want to use the remaining sauce for dipping. Make sure you boil it for several minutes to kill bacteria.
Cook Items to the Correct Temperature
Make sure meats are cooked to the correct temperature. These are the ranges you want to see on your instant meat thermometer.
- Beef, fish, lamb, pork, and veal – 145 F
- Ground beef, lamb, pork, and veal – 160 F
- Chicken, turkey, and other types of poultry – 165 F
- Precooked hot dogs, ham, and sausage – 165 F
Clean All Prep Surfaces
Any cutting board or other surface you use for preparation needs to be cleaned and sterilized. Soak cutting boards in a solution of a gallon of water to two teaspoons of bleach after washing them. You might want to keep a spray bottle with that bleach mixture on hand to spray counters, stand mixers, and built-in cutting boards.
Clean counters regularly of crumbs and spills. Use a sanitizing cleaner to kill bacteria before wiping the cleaner away.
Have Senior Home Care Aides Cook Meals and Clean Up
Your dad needs to practice food safety every day. If he cannot properly wash his dishes or sterilize cutting boards and counters, someone needs to help him. Senior home care aides help your dad with meal preparation and housework.
He can have caregivers to help him shop for groceries, store them properly, and compost expired or spoiled foods to ensure your dad doesn’t eat them. Learn more about senior home care by talking to an expert.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Senior Home Care in Cave Creek, AZ, please contact the caring staff at Home Care Resources at (602) 443-4700.
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