Don't Forget The 2-Hour Food Rule At Your Picnics And Cookouts

It's thrilling to say it officially: Picnic season is upon us. As the weather heats up, so does the social calendar. Whether you're attending as a guest or hosting your own soiree, the summer menu must-haves will probably cross your mind in the coming months.

There's one important thing hosts and guests alike often ignore, though. While a beautiful picnic or barbecue spread can look inviting at first, it also needs to be carefully monitored, because like it not, food safety rules absolutely still apply, even for your casual summer picnic. This means that just as with an indoor dinner party, perishable food cannot be left out in the sun for too long. Otherwise, you run the major risk of making your guests extremely ill.

To avoid spreading an unwanted food-borne illness, you need to refrigerate your food within two hours of cooking or removing from its heat source. If it's above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, that timeframe drops to one hour.

Of all the food safety tips home cooks need to keep in mind, ensuring your food is kept at the right temperature is one that often gets overlooked, ignored, or forgotten. And we get it — once the party's in full swing, it's easy to get distracted or assume that all the food is fine as long as it looks fine.

However, just because a dish looks ok doesn't mean it's not harboring bacteria that's quick to multiply when left out. As a rule of thumb, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration says it's critical to "keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot," meaning refrigerated food should be kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and hot food needs to be kept above 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you find yourself pushing beyond this two-hour limit, assume bacteria is already multiplying rapidly in your remaining food. This means your best bet is to throw it away and avoid spreading a food-borne illness to your guests.