Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The Grilling Season and Food Allergies

The grilling season is upon us and of course that means more cookouts, barbecues and get-togethers with family and friends--and of course that means we need to be on the lookout for food allergy issues. Grilled foods are so good and can often be a really safe choice for the nut allergic. However, any cooking vessel like a grill carries a cross-contact risk.

FAAN recently e-mailed some grilling tips that I want to paraphrase here for all of us as we partake in summer dining. I may have blogged about some of these before, but these tips are definitely worth repeating!

Check out prepared burgers--some contain peanuts or tree nuts as fillers. Always ask to read the labels of these type of burgers. If at all possible, make them fresh so you know exactly what they contain.

Utensils, utensils, utensils! A big cause of cross-contact, so make sure that utensils used to touch marinades or allergenic foods are NOT used for you.

Sauces and marinades. These often contain unsafe ingredients so check the labels if using bottled brands or make your own.

And here's one of my own:
Public grills. Don't use them! Camp sites and some public parks contain public grills and you want to avoid these. Too much risk of cross-contact! Bring along a Smokey Joe --they're small, portable and inexpensive.

Just a note on recipes: I'm a little behind on those so I'll have some summer offerings later this week!

No comments: