We all love cookouts and everything that goes with them. I am still waiting for my first bite of a friend’s legendary potato salad. It seems that every weekend is a new opportunity to join family and friends in a barbecued feast. However, nothing spoils the memory of these get-togethers faster than food poisoning.

I’m sure we have all seen meat and assorted salads sitting out awaiting hungry diners. However, there may be some uninvited guests – namely bacteria – building communities on these summertime treats.

Everything can grow bacteria on it, and can be dangerous if allowed to get to room temperature. For instance, people worry about mayonnaise. But even a potato salad without mayonnaise would still be hazardous if allowed to warm to room temperature. It is safest to put food away within one hour of serving.

One of the reasons for this is the contamination we bring to the table. As unappetizing as this sounds, it’s true. Our hands can be virtual hotbeds of contaminants just looking for a place to set up shop.

One of the best ways to prevent food poisoning is to wash your hands repeatedly so that whatever is on your hands is not transferred to your food. If raw chicken or beef touches anything – skin, utensils or vegetables – the bacteria from the meat is transferred.

Food poisoning would cause a younger person to feel sick for a while, but could be fatal in an elderly person. And older people can get dehydrated very quickly.

As hot food cools or cold food warms, any bacteria that is not completely killed during cooking will have a prime breeding ground. Warm and moist places are bacterium paradise.

So keep meat on the top rack of the grill and keep salads on ice, and when you’re at a party or barbecue, be careful. If it is supposed to be hot and isn’t – don’t eat it. If it is supposed to be cold and isn’t – don’t eat it.

Here are few tips to help keep your next party safe:

. Wipe surfaces often, especially if they have been used for food preparation. Use a sanitizing solution of one capful of chlorine bleach per gallon of water to clean work area surfaces. Be sure to label the bottle carefully so it is not used for something else later like misting plants.

. Marinate food in the refrigerator – never on the sideboard – and never reuse the marinade.

. Keep flies away by covering trash containers. Don’t store meat wrappers and other trash, even for a short time, in open cardboard boxes or uncovered containers.

. Do not store food containers out in the open. Rather, put them in the shade where they have a better chance of staying cool before being filled with leftovers.

. Keep plates, cups, utensils and food covered until ready to use.

. Don’t prepare and serve food if you have been sick within the past 24 hours.

. Pack plenty of paper towels for wiping hands and surfaces.

. Get a food thermometer and cook burgers to 140 degrees for about 12 minutes.

. Wash produce carefully and vigorously with water. I use

a vegetable-based produce cleanser, which removes even more grime.

You may be tempted to smell an item to determine freshness, but resist that urge because something doesn’t have to smell bad to be bad. And clean is not the same thing as sanitized.

Most of all, remember to keep hot food hot, cold food cold, wash your hands a lot and don’t touch your food too much. Oh, and have fun.

Carol Higgins Taylor is communications director at Eastern Area Agency on Aging. For information on EAAA, call 941-2865, toll-free 800-432-7812, e-mail info@eaaa.org or log on EAAA.org. TTY 992-0150.