How to Keep Food Safe at Your Cookout

Summer is filled with outdoor food and play. But when transporting food for an outdoor barbecue, there are many opportunities for it to become contaminated. To keep your food safe from foreign invaders and to keep your guests healthy, follow these simple steps:

At the Market

When shopping for meat and poultry, check the package for its date and look at the color of the food. Fresh beef should have a bright, cherry-red color; fresh lamb should be light red; pork should be light pink; and poultry should have no discoloration.

After purchasing your proteins, head directly home so they can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Don't allow your meat or poultry to sit in the hot car (especially during the summer) for longer than an hour. If you won't be home for several hours, then store the meat and poultry in a cooler surrounded with ice. Or preplan your food shopping so it's your last stop before heading home.

[Read: Fresh Fish Shouldn't Stink, and Other Rules of Thumb .]

In Your Kitchen

Thaw frozen meat and poultry in the refrigerator a day before you plan on cooking it. This takes a little planning, because you need to make some space in your fridge. Place a tray under the defrosting meat, or place the meat in plastic bags to prevent juices from dripping in your fridge.

If you're marinating meat and poultry, keep it refrigerated the entire time. Use a resealable plastic container, or cover a bowl with plastic wrap to prevent juices from splattering on ready-to-eat foods. Once you are finished marinating, remove the raw meat or poultry, and toss leftover marinade into the garbage. Any utensils, plates or countertops that came into contact with the raw meat and poultry should be cleaned immediately.

[Read: How to Disinfect Germ Hotspots .]

Packing the Coolers

Bacteria love the hot weather, so if you're planning an outdoor barbecue away from home at, say, a park or beach, follow these simple tips:

-- Keep the food cold, especially if you're toting raw meats. Invest in a few medium-size coolers.

-- Use at least two coolers, and designate one for raw meats and the other for ready-to-eat foods, such as salads and drinks.

-- Wrap each food separately in case anything spills. You don't want meat juices getting into your pasta salad.

Don't forget to pack two sets of plates and serving utensils (for raw and cooked foods), and bring hand sanitizer and soap (if you're near running water).

[See: Pharmacists' Top Recommended Antibacterial Soaps .]

Cooking the Goods

When it's time to cook, take your time, and cook in small batches. Even thoroughly cooked foods shouldn't be in the sweltering sun for more than one hour, or else they can potentially make someone sick. Take a head count, and vote on which food should be grilled first. Leave extra raw meat and poultry in the cooler until you're ready to grill it.

Once food is on the grill, use a meat thermometer to determine when it's done. Studies have shown that burgers can still be undercooked if you're only looking at the color. Some meat thermometers have built-in markers of safe temperatures. You could also check in this handy list:

-- Ground beef, pork, veal and lamb: 160 F

-- Beef, pork, veal and lamb (steaks): 145 F

-- Turkey and chicken: 165 F

-- Fish: 145 F or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork

Don't forget to use separate utensils and serving dishes for raw and cooked foods. You don't want to transfer bacteria from the raw meat and poultry to cooked meat and poultry or ready-to-eat foods, such as sliced watermelon and coleslaw.

[Read: How to Avoid Food Poisoning .]

Handling Leftovers

You may hate the idea of tossing leftovers -- who doesn't? -- but this a matter of safety. If food is sitting outside the cooler for longer than an hour, then it needs to be tossed. This is where preplanning meals is very important. Do your homework beforehand so you don't overbuy.

Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, is the owner of Toby Amidor Nutrition and author of the cookbook "The Greek Yogurt Kitchen" (Grand Central Publishing 2014). She consults and blogs for various organizations, including FoodNetwork.com's Healthy Eats Blog and Sears' FitStudio.