The 5 Most Dangerous Things You Can Do With The Food At A Cookout

Danger is lurking in some unexpected places — even your ice.

Summer celebrations can be some of the best times of the year, but warm temperatures also bring an increased chance that some of the food being served could contain dangerous bacteria.

“The peak timing for foodborne illness is during the summer months, particularly in July and August,” said Dennis D’Amico, an associate professor in the department of agricultural biotechnology at the University of Connecticut. “This is the time of year associated with increased cases of listeriosis, campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli infections.”

The connection between warm weather and food problems happens because the creepy critters love a warm place to settle in and multiply. Food scientist Bryan Quoc Le explained it this way: “As temperatures become warmer, the rate at which microorganisms grow speeds up. While most spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms have very slow growth rates at refrigerator temperatures, they accelerate to 10 to 100 times the growth rate per hour at temperatures that reach 80°F to 85°F. That means the number of bacteria that can cause food poisoning will double at a much greater speed.”

We asked food scientists to pinpoint some of the biggest potential dangers at outdoor events. They told us where to look for trouble — and how to avoid it.

1. Undercooking meat (which is more common than you’d think)