For many, mayonnaise is a picnic staple, often used in potato salad and macaroni salad or spread on sandwiches. But on hot, muggy days, mayonnaise–typically an emulsion of vegetable oil and egg yolks–can become a breeding ground for salmonella and other bacteria.
Picnickers should adhere to certain rules if they’re using mayonnaise in their food, says David Grotto, a spokesman with the American Dietetic Association. Follow these suggestions and picnickers can gorge on the tangy spread with no worries.
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– Make sure you use mayonnaise before the expiration date.
– Make sure sandwiches and other dishes with mayonnaise have been refrigerated, optimally to 40 degrees or below, before you head off to your picnic.
– Keep those foods cold while in transport. “As long as they’re kept cold, they’re good for 24 hours,” Grotto says.
– Don’t leave food with mayonnaise out and unchilled for more than two hours. That time frame drops to about an hour if you’re outside on a hot, humid day. After that, the temperature of the mayonnaise starts to rise, becoming conducive to bacteria growth. Plus, at that point your sandwich has been sitting in the open air for an hour. “Who knows what’s landed on that sandwich,” Grotto says.
– Don’t take food out of the cooler until your ready to eat. “All-day-long potato salad doesn’t work,” Grotto says.
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