Proper cooking temps kill harmful bacteria.

• Position: YOUR LIFE

Summer is a time for family vacations, backyard barbeques, and plenty of outdoor activities with food as the centerpiece but, before those steaks and burgers go on the grill, the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service wants to remind consumers that, "the best and only way to make sure bacteria have been killed and food is safe to eat is by cooking it to the correct internal temperature as measured by a food thermometer," says FSIS Administrator Al Almanza. "It is a simple step that can stop your family and guests from getting foodborne illness."

Research by USDA and the Food and Drug Administration has found that only 34% of the public use a food thermometer when cooking hamburgers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga., estimates that 48,000, 000 people suffer from foodborne illness each year, resulting in roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.

So how do you avoid becoming a part of those statistics? Follow these four steps to food safety this summer:

* Always wash your hands and surfaces with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before cooking and after handling raw meat or poultry. If cooking outside or away from...