| r to prevent possible food borne illness, you need to | | | | packing the cooler for a tailgate party, make sure raw |
| have a strategy to keep food safe. Your game plan | | | | meat and poultry are wrapped securely to prevent |
| should include preparing your food for an environment | | | | their juices from cross-contaminating ready-to-eat |
| where a stove, a refrigerator, or running water is not | | | | food. Actually, it is best to keep raw meat and poultry |
| readily available. Make sure you pack enough clean | | | | in a separate icebox from other foods. |
| utensil for eating and serving the food. You may bring | | | | If there is no drink quality water, bring water for |
| a thermometer along to make sure the food you | | | | cleaning. Also, bring wet disposable cloths for cleaning |
| server is cooked thoroughly. If you serve uncooked | | | | hands and surfaces. |
| meats harmful bacteria can cause serious illness. | | | | At your next tailgate party make sure you keep hot |
| Make sure you keep the food hot. Do not eat hot | | | | food hot and cold food cold. Bacteria multiply rapidly |
| take-out food more than two hours after purchase. It | | | | between 40 °F and 140 °F. Avoid leaving food in |
| is best to chill the food in a refrigerator before packing | | | | this "danger zone" more than 2 hours (1 hour when the |
| for your tailgate party. To keep food like soup, chili, and | | | | outside temperature is above 90 °F). Cook meat and |
| stew hot, use an insulated container. | | | | poultry completely. |
| Fill the container pre-heated with boiling water, and let it | | | | Many people have so much fun at tailgate parties that |
| stand for a few minutes. Once you have emptied the | | | | they never make it into the stadium to see game. |
| preheated food container put in the hot food. Keep the | | | | Regardless of when and where you eat the food you |
| insulated container closed to keep the food hot (140 ° | | | | brought to the party, it doesn't mean it's safe for the |
| F or above) for several hours. | | | | food to stay unrefrigerated. Store food in the cooler |
| Bring perishable food like hamburger meat, sausages, | | | | as much as you can and only leave it out briefly while |
| and chicken in an insulated cooler packed with several | | | | serving. Cook only the amount of food that will be |
| inches of ice, frozen gel packs. Other perishable | | | | eaten to avoid the challenge of keeping leftovers at a |
| cooked food such as cooked sausages, pasta, and | | | | safe temperature. Do not consume any leftovers that |
| potato must be kept refrigerator cold, too. When | | | | are not ice cold after the game. |