Have you ever left a pot of chili to cool on the kitchen counter before putting it in the refrigerator? Do you use one cutting board for all the foods you prepare in your kitchen? Have you been known to snitch a little dough while you’re mixing up a batch of cookies? When you’re grilling hamburgers, do you rely on their inside color to indicate doneness?

Even the most conscientious of cooks are more than likely guilty of food safety infractions like these. Old habits are hard to break, and habits developed in the kitchen are no exception. But thanks to the college’s Department of Food Science and the partnership between Penn State Cooperative Extension and the University’s other outreach programs, food handlers and consumers statewide are learning how to process and prepare food in the safest ways possible.