GATEWAY OUTDOORS – Outdoor Cooking Season Is Underway
A mouthwatering assortment of aromas were picked up and carried across the campground on a gentle breeze. It was close to meal time, and an assortment of grills and camp stoves were being put to good use.
Food prepared outdoors seems to taste better, regardless of who is doing the cooking. It’s also a time when special attention needs to be taken when dealing with our food and its preparation for consumption.
Hands down, the food supply in the United States is the safest in the world. However, it is estimated that about 48 million cases of food borne illnesses occur affecting 1 in 6 Americans annually.
In many cases it is when we leave the confines of the kitchen at home and are cooking elsewhere when food related problems can begin.
Just like at home, when cooking outdoors, keep cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and your hands clean. Disinfectant wipes, paper towels, along with disposable plates and utensils, can be used as well. Use one cutting board for produce and dedicate another to raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
At home, cooking using recipes have several things in common, time and temperature. One of the most common complaints that accompany outdoor cooking is under cooking. The fix is easy, measure the internal temperature of food using a thermometer.
Recommended safe minimum internal temperatures include: Whole poultry: 165°F; Poultry breasts: 165°F; Ground poultry: 165°F; Ground meats: 160°F; Beef, pork, lamb, and veal (steaks, roasts and chops): 145°F and allow to rest at least 3 minutes. Just by looking at cooked foods there is no way to visually tell if the product has reached the proper internal temperature, so let a thermometer be your guide.
Hot take-out food, fried chicken or BBQ be sure it is consumed within two hours of when it was purchased.
Temperature is extremely important when it comes to proper food storage prior to, and after, cooking.
Cold food should be held to 40°F or colder. Perishable food should not be left out for more than two hours at room temperature. That number is reduced to one hour when the temperature is above 90°F.
It’s extremely important to store cold foods below 40°F at home, while camping, travelling, or picnicking. If hot foods are to be stored, they must also be brought below the 40°F threshold. This is why a thermometer for the cooler is also a must have item.
Your cooler is anoth
er important consideration. There are the bargain basement style coolers. Some provide a thin barrier from the outside to keep items warm or cool for short periods of time. Thinwalled Styrofoam coolers are popular. However, they are not suited to keep its contents under the 40°F mark for any length of time.
The better name brand coolers offer the ability to keep items cooler for longer periods of time.
For those wanting long-lasting quality coolers, look to the relatively new coolers. As seen on TV, these coolers can take the abuse of a grizzly bear and keep things cold for longer periods of time. The secret to the success of these coolers is the wall thickness of the container coupled with the density of the insulating material.
Although the “super coolers” do live up to their intended purpose, there is a tradeoff. Simply put, you get what you pay for.
Frozen items will help to keep the contents of the cooler colder longer. Jell packs work great, and freezing water in a container, such as a milk container, will work as well. Avoid using loose ice. A bag of prepackaged ice will keep items, such as beverages, cold for short periods of time. A block of ice will last much longer.
Dry ice is another great option to keep items contained in your cooler colder longer.
In the western states, the super cold product is commonly purchased at grocery and convenience stores. Here in the east outlets for dry ice are not as readily available. However, there are businesses that handle the product, but it’s a matter of locating them.
Dry Ice is frozen carbon dioxide, a normal part of our earth’s atmosphere. Formed by compressing C02, it is useful for freezing and keeping things frozen because of its very cold temperature: -109.3°F or -78.5°C.
Dry Ice is easy to handle by using insulated gloves. As a general rule, dry ice will sublimate at a rate of five to ten pounds every 24 hours in a typical ice chest. However, that is changing.
Today a number of the more expensive coolers using an insulating barrier of a proprietary material are rated to hold dry ice. For extended periods of time. But do they work?
While hunting in Colorado I harvest an elk. The meat was processed then kept frozen for about two days before the return trip home.
Prior to departing the meat was placed in quality coolers, and topped off with a layer of dry ice.
Following the drive home the coolers were opened and each package of meat was examined. Not one exhibited any sign of defrosting.
The result provided the answer to the question, “do these coolers really work.
The importance of proper storage and transporting of foods while camping, picnicking, or going to camp, is an important consideration of every outing.
Charlie Burchfield is a past president of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association an active member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, and the Mason-dixon Outdoor Writers. Gateway Outdoors e-mail is Gwoutdoors@comcast.net