Tips For Safe Food While Camping In the Great Maine Woods
Heading out to enjoy the great Maine outdoors is on everybody's list this summer. Here are some tips to ensure your trip is a safer one with some great safe food suggestions for the menu, storage tips and cooking advice for your adventure.
Safe Foods to Bring
A good guide of what to put on the menu for your camping trip can be inspired by Food Safety dot gov. Here is a list of some of the more safe food items to bring camping:
- Canned foods like tuna, chicken and beef
- Peanut Butter
- Juice boxes
- Dried fruits
- Nuts
Safe Food Storage
Taking cooled foods with you? Here's what you need to know about safely storing foods that need to be cooled:
Discard any perishable food that has been above 40 degrees F for two hours or more, and any food that has an unusual odor, color or texture. The chance for growing bacteria increases after 2 hours above the recommended 40 degrees F for your cooled food, including hamburgers and hot dogs.
Never taste food to determine its safety. Some foods may look and smell fine, but if they've been at room temperature longer than two hours, bacteria can multiply very rapidly. Some types will produce toxins that are not destroyed by cooking and could make you sick.
Use two coolers to avoid contamination if it does occur, one cooler for drinks and snacks the other for perishable foods.
Safe Food Cooking
Cooking meals of course require the appropriate cookware, such as a cooking stove, pans and utensils. But, don't forget your meat thermometer and ensure you are cooking your hamburgers to at least a temperature of 160 degrees F.
For more information on food safety, visit the State of Maine Emergency Management Agency website page 'Food Safety' or 'Food Safety While Camping' information from Food Safety.Gov.
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