SERVSAFE/Chapter 7

THE FLOW OF FOOD:

Preparation

WAYS TO THAW FOOD

• Thaw food in a cooler at a temperature of 41 degrees F. or lower

• Submerge food under running water at 70 degrees F….make sure water is potable (meaning safe to drink)

• Thaw food in a microwave oven if it will be cooked just after thawing

• Thaw food as part of the cooking process

Prepping Foods

• Employees should prep food in small batches.

• While prepping food, keep workstations and utensils clean and sanitized.

• Prepped food that is not going to be cooked immediately should be put back in the cooler.

COOKING

• Cooking can reduce pathogens in food to safe levels.

• Cooking does not kill the spores or toxins some pathogens produce.

Cooking Requirements

Minimum Internal Temperature Type of Food

165 degrees F. for 15 seconds Poultry-including whole or ground chicken, turkey or duck

Stuffing made with TCS ingredients

Stuffed meat, seafood, poultry, or pasta

155 degrees F. for 15 seconds Ground meat-including beef, pork, and other meat

Injected meat-including brined ham and flavor-injected roasts

Mechanically tenderized meat

Ground seafood-including chopped or minced seafood

Eggs that will be hot-held

145 degrees F. for 15 seconds Seafood-including fish, shellfish, and crustaceans

Steaks/chops or pork, beef, veal, and lamb

Eggs that will be served immediately

COOKING REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Internal Temperature Type of Food

145 degrees for 4 minutes Roasts of pork, beef, veal and lamb

135 degrees F. Commercially processed, ready-to-eat food that will be hot-held for service (cheese sticks, deep-fried vegetables)

135 degrees Fruit, vegetables, grains (rice, pasta), and legumes (beans, refried beans) that will be hot-held for service

Cooking Food In a Microwave

• Meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs that you cook in a microwave must be cooked to 165 degrees F. (74 degrees C.).

• Cover the food.• Rotate or stir the food halfway through the

cooking process.• Let the cooked food stand for at least two

minutes after cooking• Check the temperature in at least two places.

Consumer Advisories

• You must advise customers who order food that is raw or undercooked of the increased risk of foodborne illness.

• The FDA advises against offering raw or undercooked meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs to children.

• Operations that serve high-risk populations (nursing homes, hospitals, etc.) should never serve raw seed sprouts or raw or undercooked eggs, meat, or seafood

COOLING FOOD

• Cool TCS food from 135 degrees F. to 41 degrees F. or lower within six hours.– First, cool food from 135 degrees F. to 70 degrees F.

within two hours– Then cool it to 41 degrees F. or lower in the next four

hours.

• If food has not reached 70 degrees F. within 2 hours, it must be thrown out or reheated and then cooled again.

• The TOTAL cooling time cannot be longer than six hours.

Methods For Cooling Food

• The denser the food, the more slowly it will cool.

• Never place large quantities of hot food in a cooler to cool.

• Divide large containers of food into smaller containers or shallow pans.

• Food can also be cooled by adding ice or cold water as an ingredient.

Methods of Cooling Food

1. Ice-Water Bath

2. Ice Paddle

3. Blast Chiller or a tumble chiller

Reheating Food….

• From start to finish, you must heat the food to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. (74 degrees C.) within two hours.

• Make sure the food stays at this temperature for at least 15 seconds.

VoCats Questions

• Rinsing cutting boards between preparing raw foods and ready-to-eat food can cause cross contamination during food preparation.

• Hamburger cooked to an internal temperature of 135 degrees F. for fifteen seconds has NOT been cooked properly.

• Holding cooked vegetables at 120 degrees F. or higher is an IMPROPER practice when handling vegetables.

VoCats Questions

• Submerging under running potable water at a temperature of 70 degrees F. or lower is NOT a proper method to thaw food.

• The proper way to cool a large pot of spaghetti sauce is to divide the spaghetti sauce into smaller containers and place them in a ice-water bath.

• Potentially hazardous cooked foods must be discarded if kept in the temperature danger zone for four hours.

VoCats Questions

• Ice used in food must be made from nonpotable water.

• Hamburger patties should be cooked to a temperature of 155 degrees F. for 15 seconds.

• Chicken casserole should be cooked to 165 degrees F. for 15 seconds.

• In two-stage cooling, cooked food must be cooled 41 degrees F. within 6 hours.

• You should thaw frozen steak in the refrigerator overnight.