ServSafe Food Handler · ServSafe Food Handler Assessment
ServSafe Food Handler: Time and Temperature Concepts
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Overview
This chapter is about keeping food out of the temperature range where germs grow fastest. You will learn which foods need extra care, how to use a thermometer, and the safe temperatures and times for receiving, storing, thawing, cooking, holding, cooling, and reheating food. Many test questions use these numbers, so they are worth learning well.
Germs grow fastest between 41°F and 135°F, which is called the temperature danger zone. Foods that need time and temperature control to stay safe are called TCS foods. They include meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, cooked rice and beans, baked potatoes, and cut melons, tomatoes, and leafy greens. To check temperatures, put the thermometer in the thickest part of the food. Clean and sanitize it before and after use, and calibrate it with the ice-point method so it reads 32°F in ice water.
Receive and hold cold TCS food at 41°F or lower, and hold hot TCS food at 135°F or higher. Thaw food in the refrigerator, under running drinkable water at 70°F or lower, in a microwave if you cook it right away, or as part of cooking. Never thaw food on the counter. Cook poultry and stuffing to 165°F, ground meat to 155°F for 17 seconds, fish and whole cuts like steaks and chops to 145°F for 15 seconds, and fruits and vegetables for hot holding to 135°F.
Cool hot food from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then to 41°F or lower within the next 4 hours, for 6 hours in all. Reheat food for hot holding to 165°F within 2 hours. Ready-to-eat TCS food kept at 41°F or lower can be stored for up to 7 days, and the day it was made counts as day 1. Food held with time as the control instead of temperature must be served or thrown out within 4 hours.
Key concepts
Temperature danger zone
The range from 41°F to 135°F, where germs that cause foodborne illness grow fastest.
Memory tipCold at 41°F or lower, hot at 135°F or higher.
Source: U.S. FDA Food Code 2022 · as of 2022
TCS food
Time/Temperature Control for Safety food. Moist, protein-rich, or cut foods that let germs grow, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cooked rice, and cut melons, tomatoes, and leafy greens.
Memory tipIf it is moist and was cooked or cut, think TCS.
Ice-point thermometer calibration
Put the stem in a container of ice and water and wait for the reading to stop moving. It should read 32°F. If it does not, adjust it. Calibrate after a drop or a big temperature change.
Memory tipIce water = 32°F.
Minimum internal cooking temperatures
Poultry and stuffing: 165°F (less than 1 second). Ground meat: 155°F for 17 seconds. Fish, steaks, and chops: 145°F for 15 seconds. Fruits and vegetables for hot holding: 135°F.
Memory tip165 poultry, 155 ground, 145 whole cuts and fish, 135 vegetables.
Source: U.S. FDA Food Code 2022 · as of 2022
Two-stage cooling
Cool from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then from 70°F to 41°F or lower within the next 4 hours. If food misses the 2-hour mark, reheat it to 165°F and cool again, or throw it out.
Memory tip2 hours + 4 hours = 6 hours.
Source: U.S. FDA Food Code 2022 · as of 2022
Date marking
Ready-to-eat TCS food made in-house and kept at 41°F or lower can be stored for up to 7 days. Label it with the use-by date. The day it is made is day 1.
Memory tipMade on the 4th: last day is the 10th.
Source: U.S. FDA Food Code 2022 · as of 2022
Time as a public health control
Holding food without temperature control. The food must be labeled with a throw-out time and be served or thrown out within 4 hours.
Memory tipOut of hot holding at 10:30 a.m. means gone by 2:30 p.m.
Source: U.S. FDA Food Code 2022 · as of 2022
Often tested
- Danger zone: 41°F to 135°F.
- Receive and hold cold TCS food at 41°F or lower; hold hot food at 135°F or higher.
- Check temperature in the thickest part of the food.
- Safe thawing: refrigerator, running water at 70°F or lower, microwave (cook right away), or as part of cooking.
- Reheat for hot holding to 165°F within 2 hours, on cooking equipment, not in a steam table.
- Cool in shallow pans or an ice-water bath, never on the counter or in a deep covered pot.
Easy to confuse: Key temperatures
| Food or task | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Poultry, stuffing | 165°F | Less than 1 second |
| Reheating for hot holding | 165°F | 15 seconds, reached within 2 hours |
| Ground meat | 155°F | 17 seconds |
| Fish, steaks, chops | 145°F | 15 seconds |
| Fruits and vegetables for hot holding | 135°F | - |
| Hot holding | 135°F or higher | - |
| Cold holding | 41°F or lower | - |
3 sample questions
Verified practice questions from this unit.
Question 1. What is the temperature danger zone, where germs grow fastest in food?
- ① 32°F to 100°F
- ② 41°F to 135°F
- ③ 70°F to 165°F
- ④ 0°F to 41°F
▼ Show answer and explanation▲ Hide answer and explanation
Answer: ② 41°F to 135°F
Key point: Danger zone: 41°F to 135°F
The temperature danger zone is 41°F to 135°F. Germs that cause foodborne illness grow fastest between these two temperatures. Keep cold food at 41°F or lower and hot food at 135°F or higher.
Wrong choices
- 32°F to 100°F: 32°F is freezing and 100°F is too low. Germs keep growing up to 135°F.
- 70°F to 165°F: The zone starts lower, at 41°F. 165°F is a cooking and reheating temperature, not the top of the zone.
- 0°F to 41°F: 41°F or lower is the safe range for cold food, not the danger zone.
Question 2. Which of these foods is a TCS food (a food that needs time and temperature control to stay safe)?
- ① Saltine crackers
- ② A whole, uncut apple
- ③ Dry, uncooked pasta
- ④ Cooked rice
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Answer: ④ Cooked rice
Key point: Cooked rice is a TCS food
Cooked rice is a TCS food (Time/Temperature Control for Safety). Moist, cooked foods like rice, beans, and baked potatoes let germs grow if they sit in the danger zone. Meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, and cut melons, tomatoes, and leafy greens are also TCS foods.
Wrong choices
- Saltine crackers: Crackers are dry, so germs cannot grow well in them.
- A whole, uncut apple: A whole, uncut apple with unbroken skin is not a TCS food.
- Dry, uncooked pasta: Dry pasta has almost no water, so germs cannot grow. Once it is cooked, it becomes TCS.
Question 3. Where should you put the thermometer to check the temperature of a thick piece of meat?
- ① On the surface, where it is hottest
- ② In the thickest part
- ③ In the thinnest part, where it cooks first
- ④ In the cooking liquid next to the meat
▼ Show answer and explanation▲ Hide answer and explanation
Answer: ② In the thickest part
Key point: Check temperature in the thickest part
Put the thermometer in the thickest part of the food. That part heats up last, so it gives you the lowest, most honest reading. If the thickest part is hot enough, the rest is too.
Wrong choices
- On the surface, where it is hottest: The surface heats up first, so it can read hot while the center is still undercooked.
- In the thinnest part, where it cooks first: The thinnest part cooks first. The thick part could still be unsafe.
- In the cooking liquid next to the meat: The liquid around the food can be hotter than the food itself.