Cooking Advice for Pros and Beginners.

• Position: GRILLING SEASON

Rates of foodborne illness tend to increase during the summer months because germs grow faster in warmer, more humid weather. People also cook and eat outside more, making shortcuts to food safety tempting because they are away from the convenience of soap and running water at the kitchen sink.

"Don't let foodborne illness ruin the cookout: follow food safety guidelines like washing your hands, thoroughly cooking your food, and checking food temperature with a thermometer," says Sandra Eskin, deputy under secretary for food safety at the Department of Agriculture.

USDA has some advice for grilling novices and pros:

Color never is a reliable indicator of safety and doneness. Use a food thermometer to ensure a safe internal temperature. Moreover, although frozen products may appear to be pre-cooked or browned, they should be handled and prepared no differently than raw products and must be grilled to appropriate temperatures. Frozen products might be labeled with phrases such as "Cook and Serve," "Ready to Cook," and "Oven Ready" to indicate they must be cooked.

Many grill masters enjoy using already tenderized meats that have marinades added to get the most flavor out of their meal. However, mechanically tenderized beef, including cuts that are prepackaged in marinades, must be cooked thoroughly to ensure...