Q - are you using a wire grill brush to clean? ACK! Stop - you'll be surprised at how this sends patients to the ER.
In fact, my chats with fellow ER doctors are filled with patients who ended up in the ER as a result of these little grill-cleaning hazards. How to stay safe from these (and a few other grilling tips), below!
Remember, E. coli is always in season 🙂
- Keep raw meat separate: As soon as you put the raw meat on the grill, take all the dishes and utensils that touched it, and throw them into the sink. That reduces the chance that anyone will forget and accidentally contaminate cooked foods (or those that don’t need to be cooked) with them. (cough cough, looking at my own family, here).
- Don’t re-use marinade: If you’re marinating raw meat, and want to use some of the marinade as a sauce on the side of the cooked meat, set aside a portion of the marinade BEFORE it touches, the meat, for post-cooking seasoning.
- Keep hot food hot, and cold foods cold. Don’t leave anything out in the environment for over 2 hours maximum, 1 hour if its especially hot (over 80 degrees) outside!
Toss your wire grill brush
- That wire grill brush is a hazard: Every year, we see patients come to the ER after eating grilled food – and no, it wasn’t Dad’s cooking – it was because a tiny bristle from the wire grill cleaning brush had stuck to the grill. When the food had been cooked, the wire had transferred to the food, and was swallowed when the food was eaten. (see the X-ray). The treatment? We typically have to do an endoscopy (ie a tube down to look) to remove the wire – not a highlight for your cook-out.
- What to do instead? Try a non-wire grill cleaner such as Grill Rescue, Grillart, Cuisinart, ScrubDaddy, or Grillstone (note: I have no relationship with any of these products – simply listing a few examples here so you know what to look for).
How to handle burns
If someone burns themselves on the grill, follow these steps
- Remove: Remove any jewelry from the area burned, as it will swell (and the jewelry could get trapped).
- Cool: Apply room-temperature water to cool it – NOT ice
- Clean: Clean with mild soap and tap water gently
- Pain meds: Give Tylenol or Motrin for pain as needed.
- When to go to the doctor: If there are many blisters, deeper burns, or significant involvement of the face or hands, or on a child or elderly, seek medical care. Also do this if the burn goes all the way around (like all the way around an arm). If blisters form, leave them alone and just cover gently. Don’t pop them!
Happy grilling!
Best,
- Dr. Darria
