RSS Feeds  Protect against food poisoning at your next cookout
Wednesday - 7/3/2013, 9:18am  ET  So what's the best way to stay
ahead of spoiled food at a cookout? Follow these simple tips.
(Thinkstock)    "The biggest thing you want to remember is to
keep cold food cold, and hot food hot," said Lauryn Muller, a
clinical dietitian at Medstar Washington Hospital Center.
Muller says the temperature danger zone for food is between 40
degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.  "Bacteria multiplies very
quickly at this temperature, which can really increase your risk
of food-borne illness," she said.   Muller suggests taking a
food thermometer along on a picnic to make sure cold items
remain less than 40 degrees and hot ones stay more than 140
degrees.  If packing a thermometer seems too extreme for you,
just remember that most perishable food should be tossed after
sitting out for two hours or one hour if it's really hot. This
rule not only applies to meat and salads made with mayonnaise,
but also goes for cut fruit