SAFETY KEY INGREDIENT IN GOOD FOOD

E. coli. Salmonella. Campylobacter.

They're hardly ingredients chefs want to whip into a favorite recipe, but they turn up in food all the time.

And they don't have to, food safety experts say.

Simple sanitation can stop many food-borne illnesses dead in their tracks, says Diane Gregory, a sanitarian with the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center.

Gregory and other sanitarians are responsible for tracking food-borne and communicable diseases back to their sources.

That track often leads right to the kitchen. Everyone remembers outbreaks of E. coli traced to fast food restaurants and undercooked ground beef, but most food-borne illnesses are caused at home, Gregory said.

"Hand washing and temperature abuse are the two main problems," she said.

Food -- whether it's a vegetable or raw meat or chicken -- is not sterile. Cooks need to wash their hands thoroughly, with soap and hot water, after using the restroom and between handling raw meat and vegetables to avoid spreading bacteria from one to the other.

Cross-contamination is a big problem in controlling diseases, Gregory said. Cooks who don't wash knives in between cutting up raw meats and vegetables or who use the same cutting board for different ingredients risk passing pathogens back and forth and spreading illness.

Temperature control is also important. Letting food thaw too quickly -- say on a counter instead of in the refrigerator -- and not cooking it long enough to kill any lurking pathogens can cause illness.

After a meal, refrigerate leftovers promptly. Reheat them thoroughly the next day, and don't keep leftovers more than three to four days.

Master Chef Charlie Trotter, the owner of the five-star Chicago restaurant that bears his name and chairman of National Food Safety Month, has prepared an equipment list for a "dream kitchen" dedicated to safe food preparation.

Trotter recommends "cleaning as you go" in the kitchen, including wiping up spills as they occur and washing utensils and equipment as soon as they've been used.

He also suggests using at least two cutting boards, including one for meat, fish and poultry and the other for vegetables and other foods.

"Be sure to wash cutting boards and knives after each use and sanitize with an antibacterial disinfectant or a solution of water and bleach," he said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is upgrading its inspection standards by requiring meat and poultry plants to establish a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points System to outline hazard response and risk prevention steps.

In addition, USDA is requiring slaughter plants to conduct microbial testing for harmful bacteria.

The county health center also holds a "food school" the first Tuesday of every month to teach food servers and preparers food safety, Gregory said.

"It really emphasizes the fact that if you are in the food service profession, you do have a food safety component to your job," she said.

Sanitarians also regularly inspect restaurants and food stands that set up for special events, such as the SEMO District Fair or Jackson Homecomers.

TOP 10 KITCHEN ITEMS FOR SAFE FOOD PREPARATION AND HANDLING

Hand Soap

Nail Brush

Paper Towels

Clean Sponges

2 Cutting Boards

Cooking Timer

Food Thermometer

Food Storage Containers

Labels and Marking Pens

Antibacterial disenfectant or bleach/water solution.

RECIPE FOR SAFE FOOD HANDLING

Don't Forget

Ingredient #1: Time and Temperature

Refrigerate or freeze parishables, prepared food and leftovers withing 2 hours.

Never defrost (or marinate) food on the kitchen counter, use the refrigerator, cold water or microwave method.

Cook food to the proper internal temperature; look for visual signs of doneness and use a thermometer to be sure.

Ingredient #2: Personal Hygiene

Wash hands with hot soapy water before and after handling food.

Avoid handling food when ill, or if you have cuts or sores on your hands.

Ingredient #3: No Cross-Contamaination

Separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other food in your grocery cart; store on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

Wash cutting boards and knives before and after food preparation, and especially after preparing raw meat, poultry and seafood.

Never place cooked food on a plate which previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood.