What this section covers: Minimum cooking temperatures, Cooling and reheating, Thawing, Time as a public health control, Hot and cold holding, consumer advisory, re-service.
6 free practice questions
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Question 1Which time and temperature does the Food Code set as the standard cooking requirement for ground beef that will be held hot?
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Answer: D — 155°F for 17 seconds.
Comminuted (ground) meat must reach 155°F for 17 seconds, or an equivalent combination from the Food Code chart: 145°F for 3 minutes, 150°F for 1 minute or 158°F for less than a second. 145°F for 15 seconds is the rule for intact meat and fish, not ground meat.
Checked against: FDA Food Code 2022, 3-401.11 Raw Animal Foods (A)(2)
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Question 2A commercially processed, packaged ready-to-eat food (for example chili from an inspected plant) is reheated for hot holding. What temperature must it reach?
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Answer: B — 135°F.
Ready-to-eat TCS food that was commercially processed and packaged in an inspected food processing plant must be heated to at least 135°F when reheated for hot holding. Food cooked and cooled in the establishment must reach 165°F.
Checked against: FDA Food Code 2022, 3-403.11 Reheating for Hot Holding (C)
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Question 3Under the 6-hour time-as-a-public-health-control option, what is the highest temperature cold food may reach?
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Answer: A — 70°F.
For up to 6 hours without temperature control, the food must start at 41°F or less, may not exceed 70°F during the 6 hours, must be marked with the time it left cold holding and the 6-hour limit, and must be discarded if it goes above 70°F.
Checked against: FDA Food Code 2022, 3-501.19 Time as a Public Health Control (C)
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Question 4A menu offers hamburgers cooked to order. What must the restaurant provide?
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Answer: C — A consumer advisory: a disclosure and a reminder about the risk of undercooked food.
When raw or undercooked animal food is served, the permit holder must inform consumers with a disclosure (identifying the items) and a reminder (a footnote on the risk or that written information is available).
Checked against: FDA Food Code 2022, 3-603.11 Consumption of Animal Foods that are Raw, Undercooked
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Question 5Which food may be served again after being returned by a customer?
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Answer: A — An unopened, packaged condiment packet in good condition.
Food served to one customer may not be served again, except for packaged food in good condition that is not time/temperature control for safety food, such as unopened condiment packets.
Checked against: FDA Food Code 2022, 3-306.14 Returned Food and Re-Service of Food
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Question 6Which thawing method is NOT allowed for TCS food?
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Answer: D — At room temperature on a prep table.
The Food Code allows thawing under refrigeration, under running water at 70°F or below, in a microwave with immediate cooking, or as part of cooking. Room temperature thawing lets the outside of the food warm into the danger zone.
Checked against: FDA Food Code 2022, 3-501.13 Thawing
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Cooking, cooling and holding
| Food or step | Food Code 2022 rule |
|---|---|
| Poultry, stuffed foods, stuffing with meat or fish | 165°F, instantaneous (3-401.11) |
| Ground meat, eggs for hot holding | 155°F for 17 seconds, or 145°F for 3 minutes, 150°F for 1 minute, 158°F instantaneous (3-401.11) |
| Fish, intact meat, eggs for immediate service | 145°F for 15 seconds (3-401.11) |
| Raw animal food cooked in a microwave | 165°F, rotate or stir, cover, stand 2 minutes (3-401.12) |
| Vegetables cooked for hot holding | 135°F (3-401.13) |
| Hot and cold holding | 135°F or above; 41°F or below; certain roasts 130°F (3-501.16) |
| Cooling | 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours; to 41°F within 6 hours in total; 4 hours for food made from room-temperature ingredients (3-501.14) |
| Reheating for hot holding | 165°F for 15 seconds within 2 hours; commercially processed packaged food 135°F (3-403.11) |
| Time as a public health control | Up to 4 hours (then serve or discard), or up to 6 hours for cold food that stays at 70°F or less, with written procedures (3-501.19) |
| Consumer advisory | Disclosure and reminder for raw or undercooked animal food (3-603.11) |
Source: FDA Food Code 2022.
The holding limits, the cooling corrective actions and the time-as-control options are explained side by side in our guide to the temperature danger zone.
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