Happy Birthday, United States! Hope your day is wonderful and you don't fall like the Roman Empire, what with all your infidels and greenhouse gases and Spongebob Squarepants. (Oooh, my husband just pointed put that Rome didn't have Spongebob. But it did have Cicero, same thing.) Should you be partying with the U.S. of A. today in BBQ style, we want to throw down a word of caution with this tip sheet. Because, "According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, warm-weather activities such as hosting a barbeque led to product-related injuries for more than 3.7 million people in 2002." Hmm, I'm not sure if eating bad potato salad counts as a "product-related injury" but you're better safe than sorry.
Should you decide to char some meat and veggies on the outdoor grill, you should be very careful. If you have a propane grill (like me, it is da bomb) make sure there's no leaks in the tank, and don't go flicking your Zippo right next to it. If you use a good, old-fashioned charcoal grill, don't bring the coals inside; don't pour lighter fluid on lit coals (truly); have a fire extinguisher on hand; and don't wear loose sleeves. The tip sheet also covers ways to reduce the risk of cancer with a-grillin', so read up before you eat up.
