Temperature Control, Cooking, Cooling and Cold Storage
This domain tests whether you can keep food out of the danger zone, cook it safely, cool it quickly and store it cold. The danger zone is generally 5°C to 63°C, where bacteria multiply fastest.
Core temperatures
- Cold storage: 5°C or below.
- Freezer: -18°C or below.
- Hot holding: 63°C or above.
- Cooking: core temperature of 75°C or an equivalent time-temperature combination such as 70°C for 2 minutes.
- Reheating: 75°C or above, once only.
Use a clean, sanitised probe in the thickest part of the food, wait for the reading to stabilise, and clean the probe afterwards. Calibrate probes regularly using ice water and boiling water.
Worked example
A large pot of ragù is left on the counter after service. Reasoning: a large mass cools slowly; the centre can remain in the danger zone for hours, allowing Clostridium perfringens or Bacillus cereus to multiply. Divide into shallow containers, use an ice bath or blast chiller, and aim to cool from 63°C to 20°C within 2 hours and from 20°C to 5°C within a further 4 hours. Label with the time and date, then refrigerate.
Traps
- Keeping food “warm” at 50°C is unsafe; it is in the danger zone.
- Cooling a large pot at room temperature is too slow.
- Reheating more than once increases risk.
- A probe that has not been cleaned can contaminate food.