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The secret to storing hot foods? Chill out If sheepish queries are any indication, I�m not the only Rogue Valley cook who could use a lesson in the right way to cool hot chicken soup. As I mentioned in last week�s column, I recently passed a test to become a certified food handler in Jackson County. Of the 40 questions on the cold-turkey quiz, I missed three. One was about the correct temperature to cook raw hamburger. (The right answer is 155 degrees Fahrenheit; I said 165 F.) Another was about the right ratio of bleach to water in a sanitizing solution. (The correct response is 1 teaspoon of bleach to 1 gallon of water; the answer I chose boosted the bleach to 4 tablespoons.) But the only wrong answer I truly felt bad about was in response to a question about improper cooling. Although I certainly knew to keep food out of the "danger zone" of 45 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, I didn�t realize that food that is not cooled fast enough is the number one cause of food poisoning. "Everyone misses that one," said Barbara Sandberg, the Jackson County clerk who administers the test. "It�s a true or false question and everyone picks false." The error made me think guiltily about the number of times I�ve stuck a full pot of hot soup in the refrigerator, figuring it would cool down safely. Apparently, I�m not alone. After telephone calls and e-mails from readers, plus a couple comments from colleagues, I realized that we�ve all been crossing our fingers and hoping for the best when it comes to cooling. "Can you please enlighten me?" wrote one Medford reader. "I always put very hot things in the refrigerator if I�m not going to serve them until later. Is that �improper cooling?�" The short answer, I�m afraid, is yes. To be as safe as possible, hot food must be cooled to 45 degrees Fahrenheit in under four hours, the food handler�s guide decrees. That�s quite a trick, especially if the food to be cooled is a boiling batch of soup, a thick chili or a whole roasted turkey. According to the guidelines, how you best cool food depends on the viscosity of the dish. The bottom line, though, is that all foods must be chilled as rapidly as possible, either by dividing the food into smaller parts or by surrounding it with an ice bath. To make an ice bath, set the hot pan in a sink and pile ice around it level with the food in the pan. Replenish the ice frequently as it melts and stir the food often to encourage cooling. Thin soups should be poured into shallow containers � metal is best � to a depth of no more than 4 inches, then refrigerated. Don�t cover the food until it reaches 45 degrees F. Very thick foods � chili, refried beans, potatoes � should be poured in shallow pans to a depth of no more than 2 inches. Cuts of meat should be trimmed to pieces no larger than 4 pounds, then refrigerated immediately. No foods should cool at room temperature for more than 30 minutes, the handbook admonishes. All that, of course, is more work than most folks are willing to go through. "I�ve never gotten sick!" boasts a co-worker who sneers at the notion of shallow containers. Of course, this guy also eats blood-rare hamburgers, Polish sausages and pizza left on the lunchroom counter overnight. So unless you�ve got an iron gut like his, you�d be wise to heed the handbook�s advice. I know I will from now on, even if it means investing in a new batch of Tupperware. Meanwhile, maybe I�ll stick to soups that are cool from the start, like the Gazpacho in this recipe. Gazpacho 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained 2 cups vegetable cocktail drink 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon salt � teaspoon pepper 8 to 10 drops hot pepper sauce 1 6-ounce package seasoned croutons (or homemade croutons) 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced 1 medium green pepper, diced 1 bunch green onions with tops, sliced In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Stir well; ladle into soup bowls and garnish with croutons, green pepper and onions. Makes 2 quarts, 6 to 8 servings. Recipe from "The Complete Guide to Country Cooking," from Taste of Home Books. (Send questions to A la carte, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501. Reach JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465 or by e-mail at [email protected] ) Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA