Do you use the same kitchen sponge for days on end? Let your takeout pizza languish on the counter overnight?

We all have questionable kitchen habits – but when it comes to food safety, shortcuts we think of as harmless can open the door to dangerous pathogens such as bacteria and toxins, according to microbiologists. Here’s how experts suggest staying safer in the kitchen.

Avoid spreading foodborne bacteria

“Home cooks tend to underestimate how cross-contamination can spread bacteria across the kitchen,” says Dr Siyun Wang, professor of food safety engineering at the University of British Columbia. E coli, salmonella and listeria can easily transfer from raw produce, meat and eggs to other points we touch, such as a refrigerator or faucet handle, where Wang’s research has shown they

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