BURLINGTON, Vt. -
Health leaders are trying to find the source of an E. Coli outbreak.
That has killed one person and sickened 14 people across six states.
While there have been no reports yet in our region, the arrival of warmer temperatures has a lot of people cooking outside and maybe not as careful with their food.
Summer might mean a BBQ for many people. But to make sure it's a success, we went to the cooking experts at Bluebird Tavern in Burlington Friday.
"Number one priority is keeping it clean and keeping it safe," says Clyde Hagerty, Bluebird Tavern sous chef.
Hagerty says the first step is to keep things cool. It's not just meats that should be chilled.
Hagerty says if you take something out, including a salad made with mayo, serve it quickly.
"Once it get warms, you should throw it away and not eat it," says Hagerty.
Second is the rule to keep everything clean and make sure to wash your hands.
Third you need to keep things separate, from meats to utensils. Not doing that could lead to problems.
"That's how the majority of things cross-contaminate and people get sick from that," says Hagerty.
Last make sure everything is cooked properly.
"If you are buying like straight supermarket or shall we say you don't know about it then it's very important to cook it all the way through," says Hagerty.
That means 165 degrees for beef and 170 for chicken.
"There is only one degree of doneness on chicken and that's thoroughly cooked," says Hagerty.
For more advice, CLICK HERE for the Vermont State Health Department's food safety page.
