Eating Out Safety Tips

Spice is nice

Salsa ingredients, Tabasco sauce, garlic, oregano and many other spices have been shown to kill a variety of foodborne microorganisms. Vinegar is another effective germ-killer, making vinaigrette dressing a safe choice for salads.

If you're not happy, send it back

Be bold enough to send a meal back to the kitchen if the food is not hot enough, not cold enough or not cooked well enough. For example, insist on quiche that is firm, not runny. A mere trace of blood or pink in a poultry dish should not be tolerated. Cooked shellfish shells should be open when served.

Special order fast food

To avoid eating food that may have been sitting under a heat lamp for a long period of time, special order your meal, even if it means having to put on your own ketchup and mustard.

Be wary of foods that require intensive handling

Plenty of chopping and mixing are involved in making chicken salad, turkey salad, ham salad and seafood salad. The hands and utensils involved in creating these salads potentially can transfer harmful bacteria during preparation. To make matters worse, these salads contain an enticing combination of nutrients that bacteria love.

Speak out

If your restaurant experience is worrisome from a food-safety standpoint, talk to the manager on duty. Or report any serious concerns to your local health department. Keeping food safe should be a community effort. Your civic-minded actions could prevent someone else from getting sick. You might even save a life.