You can enjoy the social moment of a barbecue by following some safety tips. These are seven safety tips to help you avoid burns or poisoning.
Raw meat may be infected with bacteria killed during cooking. To avoid this, it is important to cook the meat thoroughly. The National Health Security Agency, (ANSES), warns particularly about poultry and sausages. Pauline Kooh (scientific project manager at ANSES) says that it is important to ensure that poultry flesh is not pink and white in the heart. This is also true for minced meat which must be properly cooked.
You should have good reflexes to prevent bacteria from infecting other foods. Pauline Kooh reminds us that you must wash your hands after touching raw meat. We recommend that you have a separate cutting board for raw meat and one for cooked food, such as vegetables. Vegetables, whether they are raw or cooked, should not be placed on the same cutting board as raw meat. Otherwise, you could end up ingesting bacteria.
This applies to any type of cooking, but it is especially important for barbecues where large amounts of meat are purchased. Pauline Kooh says that sensitive foods such as raw meat should be kept in the coolest part of the fridge and taken out at the end of each meal. The same applies to leftovers at the final meal. "Food shouldn't be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours."
The barbecue flame can cause chemical compounds to form on the meat's surface, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. It is best to adjust the cooking height so that the flames do not come in direct contact with the food. Pauline Kooh says that the grid should be at least ten centimeters away from the embers.
You should also allow the firelighters to burn fully before you place the meat on the barbecue. Also, it is important to not let any fat drip on the embers as this could cause higher flames that could touch the food.
To avoid toxic chemicals, make sure to thoroughly clean your barbecue after use. Otherwise, the barbecue could become dangerously charred.
ANSES recommends that purified charcoal be preferred to ordinary charcoal. Purified charcoal has a higher carbon rate than 85%, and it burns better.
Reclaimed wood such as crates should be avoided, according to the Assurance Prevention website. Chemical treatment can produce toxic fumes. It is recommended to use solid firelighters and to avoid gasoline or alcohol which can cause volatile flammable substances.
As the Assurance Prevention website points out, it is important to take precautions before lighting the flames in order to reduce the chance of fire or burns. You must place the barbecue in a stable location and keep it at least 1.50m away from any flammable sources, including tree branches. Strong winds should not be allowed to ignite a barbecue. After the fire has been lit, you should not move the barbecue.
When using the barbecue, it is a good idea to use gloves and an apron. Children should not be allowed to play near the barbecue or have access to ignition materials.
