Michael Anthony's 8 Kitchen Essentials

Common symptoms of foodborne illnesses caused by pathogens, such as salmonella and listeria, include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Serious cases can lead to hospitalization and major complications, such as kidney failure and miscarriages, depending on the culprit.Annually, about 1 in 6 Americans get sick; 128,000 are hospitalized; and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases, according to the CDC.University of Kentucky meat scientist Gregg Rentfrow said people should take practical steps to keep themselves safe, such as thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables before eating them, thoroughly cooking meats, and cleaning up drippings from chicken and other meats."Just use common sense," said Rentfrow, an associate extension professor and meat specialist in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. "If you handle everything like you know it's contaminated, you'll be OK."

Rentfrow said the NSF's findings weren't surprising, though "it is kind of concerning when folks don't realize that they need to clean out your vegetable container and your meat container and stuff like that, especially if you're thawing out meat inside that meat container, and the purge gets onto the actual refrigerator itself."Twenty-one percent of U.S. outbreaks of foodborne illness with a known single setting resulted from food consumed in a private home, compared with 48 percent that stemmed from food eaten in a restaurant or deli, according to CDC stats for 2009-10.

At home, it's important to pay attention to manufacturers' instructions for cleaning products that come in contact with food and to get on a regular cleaning schedule, Yakas said.Tools, such as blenders, can openers, rubber spatulas and food-storage containers, should be cleaned "after every use," Yakas said."It's not big, but it performs," says chef Michael Anthony of the galley-sized kitchen in his Midtown Manhattan apartment as he digs through drawers, praising everything from a bag of wild rice to slabs of marbled Allan Benton ham. His energy comes as no surprise: In the past two years, he's rebounded from open-heart surgery by landing a James Beard award for Best Chef in New York City and publishing his first book, The Gramercy Tavern Cookbook.