Too Many Cooks Are Inadvertently Spoiling Food, Survey Indicates

The right way to cook and store food safely is a subject many Americans, especially those under 35, don’t know enough about, according to a Cornell University survey.

Those habits often allow disease-carrying bacteria to grow in food, scientists said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that a quarter of the estimated 81 million cases of food-borne illness each year could have been prevented by safe food practices, said Cornell food scientist Robert Gravani, who conducted the survey.

According to the survey, which will be published in the February, 1992, issue of Food Technology magazine:

* Two out of three consumers did not know that the proper way to cool a large quantity of hot food is to store it in shallow containers. Hot food in a large container takes too long to cool, allowing bacteria to multiply.

* Almost one-third do not know that letting cooked chicken sit on the counter is potentially hazardous. Cooked food should not be kept at room temperature for more than two hours.

* About one-half cross-contaminate their foods by using the same knife and cutting board when cutting raw meat and vegetables. Knives and cutting boards should be thoroughly washed with hot, soapy water after being used for meat to remove bacteria.

Gravani surveyed 869 randomly chosen consumers from across the nation.