With the evenings getting longer, the weather hopefully turning nicer and the World Cup with us, thoughts of entertaining and eating outdoors become very appealing. But don’t let your good habits in the kitchen go up in smoke when you light the barbecue this summer – you want your friends, family and neighbours to go home with memories of a good time, not a tummy bug to remember you by! Here are some top tips from safefood for getting it right every time.  

Before you get grilling

Barbecues are a great way to socialize and enjoy food but need some thought and planning for them to be safe for all. Before you begin to set up your barbecue this year and think of your menu, give your barbecue grill a thorough clean by scrubbing the metal rack with a suitable oven cleaner or a damp brush dipped in bicarbonate of soda. And remember to rinse it thoroughly with warm, soapy water afterwards.

Keeping your cool

When cooking and eating outdoors, food is away from your fridge for a longer period of time which can lead to germs multiplying quickly. With this in mind, keep perishable foods like quiche, salads and coleslaw in your fridge until you need them.

Before you start

Before you try your best imitation of your favourite TV chef, make sure frozen foods are fully thawed (preferably in the fridge on the bottom shelf) before you start cooking them. Keep foods you plan to cook in the fridge or a cool box until needed and light your barbecue well in advance; for charcoal barbecues, the flames should have died down before you start cooking.

It’s in your hands

As with preparing any food, make sure to wash your hands before and after handling food. Remember to keep raw meat separate from cooked meat and ready-to-eat foods like salads. Always use separate utensils for handling raw and cooked meat when cooking. Never put cooked food on a dish that has been used for raw meat or poultry (unless it’s been thoroughly washed) and keep food covered whenever possible.

Cook with confidence!

The big issue when barbecuing is making sure your food has been cooked thoroughly, all the way through. This is particularly important when cooking poultry, minced and skewered meats, such as burgers, sausages and kebabs on the barbecue - while the outside may look cooked (and in some cases burnt), the inside can still be raw.

safefood recommends these meats should be cooked until they are piping hot all the way through, with no pink meat remaining and the juices run clear. If you’ve got lots of people visiting your barbecue and want to ensure that meat is thoroughly cooked, why not pre-cook the meat in your kitchen just before you put it on the barbecue for that great flavour.

When cooking meat that is minced or skewered such as burgers, sausages and kebabs, and poultry on the barbecue make sure to turn it regularly and move it around the grill to ensure it is cooked evenly on both sides – then remove it from the heat and place it on a clean plate and cut into the centre to check that:

• It’s piping hot all the way through

• There is no pink meat left and

• The juices run clear

Steaks or whole meat joints of beef or lamb can be served 'rare' as harmful bacteria are on the outside only, and not in the centre

Mind that marinade!

If you like to marinate your meat, make sure any marinade used on raw meat is not then used as a sauce to coat vegetables or cooked meat as it will contain raw meat bacteria!

Love those leftovers

If there are any leftovers from your barbecue, allow the food to cool before refrigerating, however make sure to refrigerate food within 2 hours of cooking. The rule to remember for leftovers is - if in doubt, throw them out.

7 golden rules for a safe barbecue

1. Keep perishable foods like quiche, salads and coleslaw in your fridge until you need them.

2. Burgers, sausages and kebabs, pork and poultry must be cooked all the way through - but steaks or whole meat joints of beef or lamb can be served 'rare' as harmful bacteria are on the outside only (and not in the centre).

3. If you like to marinate your meat, make sure any marinade used on raw meat is not then used as a sauce to coat vegetables or cooked meat as it will contain raw meat bacteria.

4. If you choose to barbecue any frozen food, it must be completely thawed on the bottom shelf of your fridge before you cook it.

5. When handling raw meat and poultry, wash your hands thoroughly and frequently, especially if preparing salads at the same time.

6. Once your meat is cooked thoroughly, make sure to keep cooked meat separate from raw meat and to use separate chopping boards, cooking utensils and plates. Harmful bacteria in raw meat, poultry and their juices can cross contaminate cooked food and lead to food poisoning, something your guests won’t thank you for.

7. If there are leftovers from your barbecue, allow the food to cool before refrigerating, however make sure to refrigerate food within two hours of cooking. Always remember that with leftovers - if in doubt, throw it out.

For more information on food safety and healthy eating including recipes, visit www.safefood.eu and enjoy your barbecue this summer!

Over one third of families in Dundalk don’t eat together every day according to a survey. The main reasons households cited for not eating together more often are time pressure (59%), conflicting schedules within the home (47%) and living separate lives (29%).

The average time Dundalk families spend on eating an evening meal together is just 38 minutes, with only 25% of families spending at least one hour together and a shocking 10% spending 20 minutes or less sitting down together at meal times.

Appallingly, 4% of families are mute at mealtimes and don’t speak during their evening meal – they just watch TV!

Among households who do not eat a meal together every day, the overwhelming majority (89%) expressed a wish to sit down as a unit more often over a meal, as they feel this is a time for bonding and catching up.

Almost half of those polled said they would eat together more often if everyone was at home at the same time. A positive nod towards the theory that hectic lifestyles, be it work, social, or a combination of both, are diminishing family bonding time. 

“In today’s hectic society it’s imperative to make time to bond and catch up as a family at least once a day, despite other engagements and it seems unfortunately, we’re not.”

“Evening meal times are the perfect opportunity to do this.  Preparing an evening meal together, as well as eating together as a family provides the ideal opportunity to chat and catch up on the day’s events.  ”

The population of Dundalk appears to agree, with the majority of households (89%) using this time together to talk and bond, with the top five main topics of discussion being;

Events of the day (72%)

TV (23%)

Politics (20%)

Family issues (15%)

Work (13%)

People with Disabilities in Ireland (PWDI) an organisation that has repeatedly highlighted the abuse of ‘disabled only’ parking spaces by non disabled motorists, now urge Louth Local Authorities to set up a ‘text alert’ system to enable people to report these abuses.

Malachy Foots, spokesperson for PWDI points to the fact that such a system already exists in Sligo, whereby a dedicated text number allows people to use their mobile phones to alert traffic wardens, via a Communications Office, on traffic problems including illegal parking in ‘disabled only’ spaces.

PWDI feel that this use of mobile phones is an ideal weapon against those unthinking motorists who on many occasions have denied the rights of Blue Badge permit holders their right to access designated parking spaces.

PWDI ask, if this ‘whistle blowing’ system is working in Sligo, then why not County Louth, and indeed every Local Authority area?