You Better Avoid Serving These Items At Your Cookout

Summer is in full swing in Michigan. The Fourth of July weekend is coming up and that means we're almost half way through the summer get togethers, time on the lakes and cookouts.

Michigan's Fourth of July Fireworks

Cooking out in Michigan is a must. Every summer of my life I have gone to a cookout. As we get older we go to more and more cookouts. When I was younger, in my 20's, it was a blast to go party and pig out on some cookout food. As I have aged, I don't party anymore and often times going to a cookout is out of obligation.

I have hosted plenty of cookouts at my place over the years. Having worked in the food industry for a good part of my life I am familiar with how to handle food, safely. If I had salads that needed to be chilled they were in "ice bins", a buffet style inflatable that I could place the salads in and surround them with ice. It does the job and you can pick something like that up at your local Meijer or Walmart. The last thing I wanted was my guests to get sick from spoiled food or food that has been cross contaminated.

If I come to your place for a cookout and you have grandmas potato salad sitting in the sun to bake, I will not be eating the potato salad. The dailymeal offered insight as well.

10 Foods You Shouln't Serve At Your Cookout

Canned Foods

You can make some good dishes like corn salsa or cherry pie, but avoid using any canned meats like SPAM, tuna or salmon. They won't last long in the sun.

Cheese Tray

Dairy and the sun are not friends. When the cheese is sweating more than you are, that's never a good sign.

Deviled Eggs

I love deviled eggs when they are cold. Not a fan of room temp deviled eggs nor hot summr day deviled eggs. The eggs and mayo that you use to make these tasty vittles will spoil quickly.

Frosted Desserts

Buttermilk icing has dairy. Dairy based toppings will suffer and melt. No bake cookies are a good option.

Green Salad

A nice garden salad sounds fresh but the lettuce will wilt quickly. Once it wilts it gets brown and after that it turns into liquid. Yuck.

Mayonaise Based Salads

I know, how did we survive eating the potato and macaroni salad while growing up? These salads don't sit well and collect bacteria in warm conditions. These salads spoil quickly.

Dairy Based Dips

Anything that has dairy in it should be served in the fall, winter or spring outdoors. The summer heat can make that spinach dip you made, with some heavy cream in it, is going to spoil and make you and your guests sick. I'm all about some QD chip dip when it's not 98 degrees outside.

Ice Cream

If you have a way to keep your ice cream frozen and accessible serve it up. If you are keeping it cold in a cooler, think again, ice cream soup won't pass the test.

Hot Drinks

If your grandparents are coming over and want some coffee, brew some for them inside. Keep plenty of ice on hand for all of the drinks you have in your coolers like water, pop and beer.

Fried Food

Maybe you've got the complete outdoor kitchen set up at your home. You've got the grill, smoker, flat top and a deep fryer. Avoid the fryer, deep fried food doesn't sit well in the sun, it will get soggy and wet.

Avoid the outbreak of food poisoning at your cookout this summer. Have a blast and enjoy your cookouts.