ServSafe Practice Test #5

The "Temperature Danger Zone" is the range of temperatures between 41°F and 135°F. Bacteria can grow in these temperatures so we must limit the amount of time that food is allowed to remain within this range.

It's important for you to memorize this temperature range. Because if you memorize this temperature range, it will be easier to answer several other questions that could appear on your ServSafe exam.

Hot TCS foods should be hot-held at 135°F or higher. And a delivery of hot TCS food should also be at least this temperature or higher.

Cold TCS food should be held at 41°F or lower. A cold storage unit should be set to this temperature or lower. And most cold TCS food (except shellfish, milk, and shell eggs) should be received at this temperature or lower.

There is a similar temperature range that could appear on the ServSafe exam and it's between 70°F and 125°F. This is not the Temperature Danger Zone. This is the range of temperatures where bacteria grow the most rapidly.

Note: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) use slightly different ranges of temperature for their Temperature Danger Zones. The USDA uses 40°F - 140°F and the FSIS uses 41°F - 145°F. This has caused a lot of confusion, but that information is not important for your exam and should be ignored. The ServSafe Temperature Danger Zone is 41°F to 135°F and that is what should be memorized for your exam.

A roast is a large and thick cut of meat and requires the longest cooking time to ensure that it is cooked thoroughly. Roasts of pork, beef, veal, and lamb should be cooked to 145°F for 4 minutes.

Roasts may also be cooked at lower temperatures if the time is increased accordingly, but it's not necessary to memorize these alternate times/temperatures for the ServSafe exam.

If the roast is injected with flavoring then it it falls into a different category and should be cooked to an internal temperature of 155°F for 17 seconds.

Foods that need to be cooked to 145°F (63°C) for 4 minutes:

• Roasts of pork, beef, veal, and lamb

As long as the previously cooked TCS food was cooked and cooled correctly, it can be immediately served to a guest at any temperature.

However, if the previously cooked TCS food will be hot-held for service (not immediately served) it must be reheated to 165°F within 2 hours of its removal from the cooler. Then it should be hot-held at 135°F as usual.

Also, a new dish that contains previously cooked TCS food as an ingredient should be cooked to 165°F.

Steaks or chops of commercially raised game (such as deer, elk, bison, rabbit, etc) should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F for 15 seconds.

However, if the meat is ground it should be cooked to the same required temperature as other ground meats which is 155°F for 17 seconds.

And if it's a roast it should be cooked to the same required temperature as other roasts of meat which is 145°F for 4 minutes.

Other foods that should be cooked to 145°F (63°C) for 15 seconds:

• Seafood — including fish, shellfish, and crustaceans
• Steaks/chops of pork, beef, veal, and lamb
• Commercially raised game
• Shell eggs that will be served immediately

Meat injected with flavoring and brined meats such as ham, should be cooked to 155°F for 17 seconds.

This does not include poultry (chicken, turkey, duck) which should always be cooked to 165°F.

Other foods that should be cooked to 155°F (68°C) for 17 seconds:

• Ground meat—including beef, pork, and other meat
• Injected meat—including brined ham and flavor-injected roasts
• Mechanically tenderized meat
• Ground meat from game animals commercially raised and inspected
• Ratites (mostly flightless birds with flat breastbones)—including ostrich and emu
• Ground seafood—including chopped or minced seafood
• Shell eggs that will be hot held for service

A cold storage unit should be 41°F or lower at the warmest part of the unit.

This is the lower limit of the Temperature Danger Zone (41°F - 135°F).

Food that is being cold-held for service should also be held at this temperature or lower.

And shipments of food should be received at this temperature or lower. Exceptions to this rule are shellfish, shell eggs, and milk which may be received at 45°F or lower.

All poultry (chicken, turkey, duck) should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. There is no time requirement - it only needs to reach this temperature for a moment.

Other foods that should be cooked to 165°F (74°C) for <1 second (Instantaneous):

• Poultry—including whole or ground chicken, turkey, or duck
• Stuffing made with fish, meat, or poultry
• Stuffed meat, seafood, poultry, or pasta
• Dishes that include previously cooked TCS ingredients (raw ingredients should be cooked to their required minimum internal temperatures)

Seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F for 15 seconds. Seafood includes both freshwater and saltwater fish, as well as shellfish and crustaceans.

Other foods that should be cooked to 145°F (63°C) for 15 seconds:

• Seafood — including fish, shellfish, and crustaceans
• Steaks/chops of pork, beef, veal, and lamb
• Commercially raised game
• Shell eggs that will be served immediately

Most cold TCS foods should be received at a maximum air-temperature of 41°F. But shellfish, milk, and shell eggs are an exception.

Shucked shellfish are clams, oysters, mussels, or scallops that have been removed from their shells. They can be received at a maximum air-temperature of 45°F. But the shellfish should be cooled to 41°F or lower within 4 hours of receiving the delivery.

Raw TCS food should not remain in the Temperature Danger Zone for more than 4 hours. After 4 hours it must be thrown out.

Likewise, TCS food that is being hot-held for service, should not be allowed to drop into the Temperature Danger Zone for more than 4 hours. And if it does, it must be served or thrown out.

But cold-held TCS food is different. Cold-held TCS food can remain in the Temperature Danger Zone for up to 6 hours before it must be served or thrown out.

The reason cold-held TCS food is different is that it's less likely to have spent as much time within the temperature range where bacteria grow the most rapidly.

The Temperature Danger Zone is a wide range of temperatures between 41°F and 135°F. But bacteria grow the most rapidly within the smaller range of 70°F and 125°F.

Hot TCS food is held at 135°F or higher and cold TCS food is held at 41°F or lower. Hot food only has to drop 10°F before it enters the temperature range where bacteria grow the most rapidly. But cold TCS food has to rise 29°F before it enters that temperature range. This is why 6 hours is allowed for cold-held TCS food but only 4 hours is allowed for hot-held TCS food.

Although raw TCS food is stored at 41°F or lower, it has not been cooked so the pathogens have not been killed yet. This is why raw TCS food is only allowed 4 hours in the Temperature Danger Zone.

Hot TCS food should be cooled before being put into cold storage. Hot TCS food is held at 135°F or higher but it must be brought down to 41°F or lower before being placed in the cooler. This range of temperatures is the Temperature Danger Zone so we must be careful and do it quickly.

The food should be brought down from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours.

Then it should be brought down from 70°F to 41°F within 4 hours.

The total amount of time for the cooling process should take no longer than 6 hours.

The reason the food must be brought down through the range of 135°F to 70°F more quickly than the range of 70°F to 41°F is because bacteria grow the most rapidly within the temperature range of 70°F to 125°F

A dish that includes previously cooked TCS food as an ingredient should be cooked to 165°F. There is no time requirement - it only needs to reach this temperature for a moment.

But, if you're taking previously cooked TCS food from the cooler for immediate service to a guest, and as long as it was cooked and cooled correctly, it can be served at any temperature.

However, if the previously cooked TCS food will be hot-held for service it must be cooked to 165°F.

Other foods that should be cooked to 165°F (74°C) for <1 second (Instantaneous):

• Poultry—including whole or ground chicken, turkey, or duck
• Stuffing made with fish, meat, or poultry
• Stuffed meat, seafood, poultry, or pasta
• Dishes that include previously cooked TCS ingredients (raw ingredients should be cooked to their required minimum internal temperatures)

You can heat-sanitize items by soaking them in hot water. The water must be at least 171°F and the items must be soaked for at least 30 seconds.

Most cold TCS foods should be received at a maximum temperature of 41°F. But shell eggs, milk, and shellfish are an exception.

Shell eggs can be received at a maximum air-temperature of 45°F.

TCS food that is being hot-held for service should not be allowed to drop into the Temperature Danger Zone for more than 4 hours. After 4 hours within this range it must be served or thrown out.

Likewise, raw TCS food should not be allowed to remain in the Temperature Danger Zone for more than 4 hours or it must be thrown out.

But cold-held TCS food is different. Cold-held TCS food can remain in the Temperature Danger Zone for up to 6 hours before it must be served or thrown out.

The reason cold-held TCS food is different is that it's less likely to have spent as much time within the temperature range where bacteria grow the most rapidly.

The Temperature Danger Zone is a wide range of temperatures between 41°F and 135°F. But bacteria grow the most rapidly within the smaller range of 70°F and 125°F.

Hot TCS food is held at 135°F or higher and cold TCS food is held at 41°F or lower. Hot food only has to drop 10°F before it enters the temperature range where bacteria grow the most rapidly. But cold food has to rise 29°F before it enters that temperature range. This is why 6 hours is allowed for cold-held TCS food but only 4 hours is allowed for hot-held TCS food.

Although raw TCS food is stored at 41°F or lower, it has not been cooked so the pathogens have not been killed yet. This is why raw TCS food is only allowed 4 hours in the Temperature Danger Zone.

Stuffing made with fish, meat, or poultry should be cooked to 165°F. There is no time requirement - it only needs to reach this temperature for a moment.

Other foods that should be cooked to 165°F (74°C) for <1 second (Instantaneous):

• Poultry—including whole or ground chicken, turkey, or duck
• Stuffing made with fish, meat, or poultry
• Stuffed meat, seafood, poultry, or pasta
• Dishes that include previously cooked TCS ingredients (raw ingredients should be cooked to their required minimum internal temperatures)

Ground, chopped, or minced seafood should be cooked to 155°F for 17 seconds.

Normally seafood only needs to be cooked to 145°F for 15 seconds, but if it's chopped, minced, or ground it requires a higher temperature.

Other foods that should be cooked to 155°F (68°C) for 17 seconds:

• Ground meat—including beef, pork, and other meat
• Injected meat—including brined ham and flavor-injected roasts
• Mechanically tenderized meat
• Ground meat from game animals commercially raised and inspected
• Ratites (mostly flightless birds with flat breastbones)—including ostrich and emu
• Ground seafood—including chopped or minced seafood
• Shell eggs that will be hot held for service

Most cold TCS foods should be received at 41°F or lower.

The exceptions to this rule are live shellfish, shucked shellfish, milk, and shell eggs.

Live shellfish (oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops)

• Can be received at a maximum air-temperature of 45°F and a maximum internal temperature of 50°F
• Must be cooled to 41°F or lower within 4 hours

Shucked Shellfish (removed from their shell)

• Can be received at a maximum air-temperature of 45°F
• Must be cooled to 41°F or lower within 4 hours

Milk

• Can be received at a maximum air-temperature of 45°F
• Must be cooled to 41°F or lower within 4 hours

Shell eggs (eggs in the shell)

• Can be received at a maximum air-temperature of 45°F
• May be stored at 45°F or lower

Mechanically tenderized meats should be cooked to an internal temperature of 155°F for 17 seconds.

Other foods that should be cooked to 155°F (68°C) for 17 seconds:

• Ground meat—including beef, pork, and other meat
• Injected meat—including brined ham and flavor-injected roasts
• Mechanically tenderized meat
• Ground meat from game animals commercially raised and inspected
• Ratites (mostly flightless birds with flat breastbones)—including ostrich and emu
• Ground seafood—including chopped or minced seafood
• Shell eggs that will be hot held for service

Some examples of shellfish and crustaceans are clams, scallops, oysters, mussels, shrimp, crayfish, crab, and lobster. These foods should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F for 15 seconds.

Other foods that should be cooked to 145°F (63°C) for 15 seconds:

• Seafood — including fish, shellfish, and crustaceans
• Steaks/chops of pork, beef, veal, and lamb
• Commercially raised game
• Shell eggs that will be served immediately