Memorial Day cookouts: Grilling your burgers wrong could be risky. Here's how to do it right

As you prepare for gatherings over Memorial Day weekend and into the summer, remember that food safety is as important as making sure everyone gets fed.

With more than 40 million Americans traveling over the weekend – as estimated by AAA – there's going to be plenty of grills fired up across the U.S. That's a lot of opportunities to spread a foodborne illness or bacteria because meats were undercooked or handled improperly.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates millions will get sick from a foodborne illness during summer grilling season.

Some simple precautions will help you be a careful cook.

Before you start cooking this Memorial Day weekend

When you buy cold foods like raw meat or poultry, you want to make sure it's refrigerated within two hours of buying it at the grocery store, or one hour if it's above 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside, says the USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service.

If food needs to be thawed, thaw in the refrigerator, cold water, or microwave, the FSIS says.

Always marinate food in the refrigerator no matter what kind of marinade you’re using. Don't thaw or marinate meat, poultry, or seafood on the counter. And don't reuse marinades that have been used with raw meat.

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Keep these temps in mind to safely cook and grill meats

The biggest mistake holiday chefs make "would be not fully cooking the foods on the grill," said Meredith Carothers, food safety expert with the USDA's Meat & Poultry Hotline, in a public service announcement.

Meats need to be cooked to a certain internal temperature to make sure you get rid of any bacteria such as E. coli, which can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps three to four days after exposure – and potentially kidney failure in children under 5 years old and in older adults, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Use a food thermometer to check that your burgers or steaks have been cooked to the proper temperature that will help prevent foodborne illnesses. Place the thermometer in the thickest part of the meat and read the temperature after 10 to 20 seconds.

• All poultry should hit a minimum temperature of 165° Fahrenheit.

• Burgers made of ground beef, pork, veal or lamb should reach 160° F, says the USDA's FSIS.

• Steaks, roasts and other whole cuts of meat should be cooked to at least 145°F (62.6˚C) and allow to rest for three minutes after removal from the grill.

• For fish, cook to 145°F or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork, according to safe cooking temperature charts from the CDC and USDA .

Don't reuse utensils and places when cooking and transferring foods from grill

That plate and utensils you used to put meat on the grill need to go into the kitchen for washing. That's because bacteria from the raw meat can spread to the cooked meat.

Have a clean plate or platter and clean utensils to take up food. Always wash your kitchen counter, cutting boards and utensils after they are used with raw meats.

How to wash your hands properly

You would think with all the public information about the need for hand washing during the COVID-19 pandemic, this wouldn't be a problem. But a 2022 consumer study from the USDA found more than half of participants don't try to wash their hands at all when prepping food.

Anytime you touch raw meat or poultry, you must wash your hands before touching anything else – other foods or your smartphone, for instance.

"Bacteria can live on surfaces for 72 hours," Carothers said. "So think about it, you're making dinner and you touch chicken, touched your spice containers without washing your hands and then in the morning you're cooking eggs and you want to use the same spice ... and then that gets all touched (to) other places. It's crazy what your hands can move around."

Here's the way to wash your hands correctly to keep germs or bacteria off your food, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Get your hands wet with clean, running water.

• Apply soap, then scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Sing "Happy Birthday" twice, or any one of these other songs to know you've scrubbed enough.

• Rinse your hands well.

• Dry them off with a clean towel.

What if you bring food somewhere else?

If you're bringing food over to cook at another location, such as a family member or friend's house or a local park, the FSIS advises using an insulated cooler with enough ice or ice packs so the temperature inside doesn't get above 40° F.

How long can food sit out?

Food should not sit out for longer than two hours, or one hour if it's hotter than 90° F outside, the CDC says.

Keep coolers nearby to chill food if needed.

Small portions of food that is still hot can be put directly into the refrigerator. Any food sitting out beyond two hours, should be thrown it out.

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Contributing: Brett Molina, USA TODAY.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Memorial Day 2023: Cookout, grilling tips to prepare food, BBQ safely