Cooking outdoors is in full swing. That means observing food-safety guidelines to prevent harmful bacteria from multiplying and causing food-borne illness.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 76 million Americans, or one in four, contract food-borne illnesses every year.

Here are safety reminders from the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

– Marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Poultry and cubed meat or stew meat can be marinated for as long as two days. Beef, veal, pork and lamb roasts, chops, and steaks may be marinated as long as five days. If some of the marinade is to be used as a sauce on the cooked food, reserve some marinade before putting raw meat and poultry in it. If the marinade used on raw meat or poultry is to be reused, make sure to let it come to a boil first to destroy harmful bacteria.

-When carrying food to another location, keep it cold to minimize bacterial growth. Use an insulated cooler with enough ice or ice packs to keep the food at 40 degrees or colder. Pack food right from the refrigerator into the cooler immediately before leaving home.

– Keep meat and poultry refrigerated until ready to use. If using a cooler for meat, keep it out of the direct sun by placing it in the shade or shelter. Avoid opening the lid too often, which lets cold air out and warm air in. Pack beverages in one cooler and perishables in a separate cooler.

– Be sure there are plenty of clean utensils and platters. Don’t use the same platter and utensils for raw and cooked meat and poultry. Harmful bacteria in raw meat and poultry and their juices can contaminate safely cooked food.

– Precooking food partially in the microwave, oven or stove is a good way to reduce grilling time. Just make sure the food goes immediately on the preheated grill to complete cooking.

– Cook food to a safe minimum internal temperature to destroy harmful bacteria. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often browns very fast on the outside. Use a food thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe minimum internal temperature. Beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts and chops can be cooked to 145 degrees. Hamburgers made of ground beef should reach 160 degrees. All cuts of pork should reach 160 degrees. All poultry should reach a minimum of 165 degrees.

– Never partially grill meat or poultry and finish cooking later.

– When reheating hot dogs and other fully cooked meats, grill to 165 degrees, until steaming hot.

– After cooking meat and poultry on the grill, keep it hot until served, at 140 degrees or warmer. Keep cooked meats hot by setting them to the side of the grill rack, not directly over the coals, where they could overcook.

– In hot weather (above 90 degrees), food should never sit out for more than 1 hour.

– Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow containers. Discard any food left out more than 2 hours (1 hour if temperatures are above 90 degrees).

– Smoking is cooking food indirectly in the presence of a fire. It can be done in a covered grill if a pan of water is placed beneath the meat; meats can be smoked in a “smoker,” which is an outdoor cooker especially designed for smoking foods. Smoking is done much more slowly than grilling, so less-tender meats benefit from this method, and a natural smoke flavoring permeates the meat. The temperature in the smoker should be maintained at 250 to 300 degrees for safety.

– Use a food thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe internal temperature.

– To prevent charring, remove visible fat that can cause a flare-up. Precook meat in the microwave immediately before placing it on the grill to release some of the juices that can drop on coals. Cook food in the center of the grill and move coals to the side to prevent fat and juices from dripping on them. Cut charred portions off the meat.