Mention the word
‘picnic’, and thoughts of blue skies, being stretched out on a soft blanket,
tucking in slices of delicious sandwiches or meats on a crusty roll, and
spending time with your family or friends on a lazy sunny afternoon come into
mind. Everybody loves to have a picnic
and this simple social food sharing get-together can be accomplished almost
anywhere. It would seem like the
tradition of having picnics have existed since the late 16th century
where the origin of the word “pique-nique” first appeared in France and was
later adopted in England after 1800.
Initially, the idea
of a picnic meant a social event where each guest provides a share of
food. Over time, it became an outdoor
excursion to a place in the country where friends or family members could meet
and provisions be shared. For
Malaysians, picnic goodies would include nasi lemak, fried beehoon, fried
chicken wings, hard-boiled eggs, sardine sandwiches, junk food, pop drinks, and
so on. Picnic areas for most Malaysians
tend to have waterfalls or beaches nearby, but a nice spot in a park or
recreation area would do as well.
Besides the fun of
organizing a social gathering or checking out a new picnic spot, it is also
important to prepare for a safe picnic, in particular the food safety
aspect. Ants are pests but they can
easily be seen and avoided. This is not
the case for bacteria, which can grow and multiply rapidly between the
temperatures of 40oF and 140oF. Food transported without an adequate ice source or left out in
the sun at the picnic will not stay safe for long. Family and friends who eat the mishandled food may get flu-like
symptoms caused by food borne illness.
Try to follow these safety tips while preparing and
packing food for a picnic:
- Cleanliness and hygiene – wash
hands and work areas. Be sure all
utensils are clean before preparing food. - Cooked food – prepare in advance
so that food is thoroughly chilled in refrigerator. Use insulated cooker with sufficient
ice or ice packs to keep food at 40oF and transfer cooked food
(packed) from the fridge into cooler. - Take-out food, e.g., fried chicken
or BBQ beef – eat them within 2 hours of pick-up or buy ahead of time to
chill before packing into cooler. - Cross-contamination – when taking
food off the grill, put them on a clean plate to avoid
cross-contamination. Do not put
cooked items on the same plate that held the raw meat. - Destroying bacteria – to destroy
bacteria, cook hamburgers and ribs to 160oF (medium done),
ground poultry to 165oF and poultry parts to 180oF. Reheat pre-cooked meats until steaming
hot. - Cooler guidelines – in warm
weather, keep cooler in air-conditioned car and at picnic, keep it in the
shade. Keep lid closed, avoid
repeated openings and replenish melted ice. Use separate cooler for drinks. Place leftover food in cooler promptly after serving.
Food planning – try to plan just the right
amount of food to take as there’ll be no worries about storage or safety of
leftovers at the end of the day.
