Cleveland Clinic issues grilling guidelines

Cleveland Clinic used the run-up to Memorial Day to issue a set of grilling do’s and don’ts focused on food safety rather than recipes. WKBN reported the guidance on May 23, citing Cleveland Clinic experts who warned that millions of Americans get sick from food poisoning each year. The advice centered on three points: keep food cold before cooking, use a thermometer instead of guessing, and keep raw meat away from cooked food. Federal food-safety guidance from CDC and FoodSafety.gov tracks with those recommendations and gives the temperature benchmarks behind them. ### What did Cleveland Clinic tell people to do before the grill is even hot? Cleveland Clinic said preparation starts in the refrigerator. In a May 22 newsroom post, Teresa Eury, a registered dietitian for Cleveland Clinic, said “the most important thing” when preparing meat for the grill is to marinate it ahead of time in the refrigerator rather than leaving it out at room temperature. She also said cooks should wash their hands thoroughly and keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. (wkbn.com) CDC says temperature control is a basic part of food-safety prevention. The agency advises refrigerating perishable foods promptly and separating raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs from ready-to-eat foods to reduce the risk of spreading germs. ### Why is a thermometer such a big part of the guidance? FoodSafety.gov says a food thermometer is the tool that tells cooks whether meat has reached a temperature high enough to kill harmful germs that cause food poisoning. (newsroom.clevelandclinic.org) The site says consumers should not rely on color or texture alone to judge doneness. CDC and Cleveland Clinic both framed that point as a practical step for backyard cooks. (cdc.gov) WKBN’s May 23 report said Cleveland Clinic advised grillers to use a food thermometer, and CDC’s grilling infographic gives the same instruction for outdoor cooking. ### What temperatures are grillers supposed to hit? FoodSafety.gov says whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb and veal should reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit and then rest for three minutes before serving. (foodsafety.gov) The same chart lists 160 degrees for hamburgers and other ground meats, and 165 degrees for poultry. Fish should reach 145 degrees. CDC repeats those benchmarks in its grilling materials. (wkbn.com) Its infographic tells consumers to cook hamburgers and other ground meat to 160 degrees and poultry to 165 degrees, and to use a thermometer to verify those temperatures. ### What counts as cross-contamination at a cookout? CDC says cross-contamination happens when germs from raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs spread to ready-to-eat food. (foodsafety.gov) The agency advises keeping those foods separate during shopping, storage and preparation, and washing hands after handling uncooked meat. Cleveland Clinic’s guidance applied that rule directly to grilling. The clinic said cooks should avoid putting finished food back on plates or surfaces that held raw meat, and CDC’s grill-safety infographic says to throw out marinades and sauces that touched raw meat juices and put cooked meat on a clean plate. (cdc.gov) ### What should people actually remember at the grill? (cdc.gov) WKBN’s May 23 report distilled Cleveland Clinic’s advice into a short checklist for Memorial Day cookouts: refrigerate and marinate safely, wash hands, use a thermometer, and keep raw and cooked items apart. Those are the steps the clinic presented as the main way to lower the risk of foodborne illness during holiday grilling. (newsroom.clevelandclinic.org) FoodSafety.gov and CDC keep those charts and prevention pages available year-round, and Cleveland Clinic’s May 22 guidance was issued for Memorial Day weekend but applies to summer grilling more broadly. (newsroom.clevelandclinic.org) (wkbn.com)