Instructions: How many of the following questions would you answer YES?

1. Do you have favorite recipes that have been passed down through your family?

2. Are you thinking of giving someone a cookbook as a present? How about as a prize at a health fair, class, etc?

3. Are you using food preparation techniques you saw others use as you grew up?

4. Do you develop recipes?

5. Do you teach others how to cook?

6. Are you compiling a cookbook for your family or organization?

We wouldnt use the instruction book that came with the original Model T car for the most recent auto we purchased. Why is it different with food?

New bacteria have emerged and others have gotten stronger since some of our favorite recipes were developed. For example, in 1990 the U.S. Public Health Service cited: (1) E. coli 0157:H7, 2. Salmonella, 3. Listeria monocytogenes, and 4. Campylobacter jejuni as the four most serious food-borne pathogens in the United States. Twenty years ago, three of these-Campylobacter, Listeria, and E. coli 0157:H7-werent even recognized as sources of food-borne disease.

Here are some general checkpoints for evaluating recipes for food safety that come in part from U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) recommendations: Checkpoint 1: Oven temperatures

Use a minimum oven temperature of 325 degrees for cooking meat, poultry, and casseroles containing them. Lower temperatures may not heat the food fast enough to prevent bacterial growth.

Checkpoint 2: Eggs
One hundred years ago, an 1898 "Recipe Book" by B. J. Kendall, M.D., offered a "recipe for egg water to cure vomiting." Today wed no longer consider giving a sick family member a glass of egg white mixed with water. However, we may still:
* Lick the cake batter from the bowl.

* Taste raw cookie dough.

* Make ice cream with raw eggs.

Consider the following when cooking with eggs:

* Cook eggs-whether scrambled, fried, poached, soft- cooked, made into an omelet, etc.-until the yolk and white are firm, not runny.

* Avoid recipes in which eggs remain raw or are only partially cooked.

Examples could include Caesars salad dressing; mousses; chiffons; homemade ice cream, mayonnaise or hollandaise sauce.

* Heat cooked egg bases for recipes, such as custard (baked and stirred) and quiche to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. At this temperature, a knife inserted near the center of a quiche or custard comes out clean. For a stirred custard, the mixture will coat a metal spoon.

* Eggnogs and homemade ice creams can be safely made using a stirred custard base. Chill the cooked custard base thoroughly before freezing for ice cream to assure it rapidly reaches a safe temperature.

Chill cooked custard in a shallow pan on the top shelf of the refrigerator.

For thicker foods such as this custard sauce, limit depth to 2 inches. Loosely cover to allow heat to escape and to protect from accidental contamination during cooling. Stir occasionally to help it cool; use a clean spoon each time.

Cover tightly when cooled.

* Although commercial pasteurized egg products can be used in place of raw eggs in recipes such as homemade ice cream, for optimal safety its safest to start with a cooked base that has been heated to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. When serving people at high risk for food-borne illness such as young children, older individuals, people with an illness and pregnant women, its best to use a cooked egg base.

Checkpoint 3: Meat/Poultry
Judging meat "doneness" by whether its "brown inside"

isnt always a reliable indicator of a safe internal temperature. The only way to really know if your burger is done is to use a meat thermometer. Also, as part of safe preparation, do not partially cook or brown foods to cook later.

Any bacteria present wont be destroyed. If youre cooking food partially in the microwave, oven or stove to reduce grilling time, pre-cook it immediately before grilling.

* Use recommended internal temperatures for doneness.

* Thoroughly cook ground meat or poultry before combining it with other ingredients in casseroles, meat sauces, etc.

* Using a food thermometer helps assure that your food reaches a safe internal temperature. A thermometer also helps you avoid overcooking a food and lowering its taste and quality.

Checkpoint 4: Marinades
Marinades help flavor meat and poultry. They do not kill bacteria. Here are some general guidelines for safely using marinades:

* Marinate in a covered container in the refrigerator, not on the counter.

* A glass container is a safe choice for marinating. Acidic ingredients in some marinades such as wine, vinegar, and lemon juice could react with certain metallic or glazed ceramic containers and leach into the food being marinated.

* Marinating time in the refrigerator shouldnt exceed the recommended storage time for that type and cut of fresh meat or poultry. If youre not certain how long to marinate a particular food-for best safety and quality-limit time to 24 hours or less.

* If some of the marinade is to be used for basting during cooking or as a sauce on the cooked food, reserve a portion of the marinade and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Do not put raw meat or poultry in it.

* When basting, dont recontaminate fully cooked meat or poultry by adding sauce with a brush that has been used on raw or undercooked foods.

* For greatest safety, dont re-use leftover marinade that has been in contact with raw meat or poultry.

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