Practice Safe, Healthy Grilling

Firing up the grill this weekend is a good way to celebrate the holiday. But keep food safety in mind to ensure a fun and healthy weekend.

Outdoor grilling is a real warm-weather treat. While getting ready to grill this weekend, keep yourself and your family safe by following these guidelines:

Keep raw meat, fish and poultry in the refrigerator until you're ready to place it on the grill.
Clean the grill with a wire brush before and after cooking meat, fish or poultry.
Marinate meats in one batch of marinade and use another to baste the meat as it cooks.
Always put cooked meat on a clean plate, not the one you used to bring the meat to the grill.
Store any leftovers that contain meat, fish, poultry, milk, eggs or cheese within one to one-and-a-half hours.

Packing for a picnic? Remember to keep all raw foods separate from cooked. Similarly, use separate utensils for cooked and uncooked items.

Enjoy that first barbecue of the season!