Food Preparation, Handling, and Service
Preparation
Thaw only in the refrigerator at 41°F or below, under running water at 70°F or below, as part of cooking, or in the microwave followed immediately by cooking. Never on the counter.
Minimum internal cooking temperatures:
- 165°F for 15 seconds - poultry, stuffed foods, stuffed pasta, reheated food for hot holding.
- 155°F for 17 seconds - ground meat, ratites, injected meats.
- 145°F for 15 seconds plus a 4-minute rest - whole cuts of beef, pork, veal, lamb, and fish.
Cooling is two-stage: 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then 70°F to 41°F within 4 more hours (6 total). Use shallow pans, ice baths, ice wands, or a blast chiller; never cool at room temperature.
Reheat for hot holding to 165°F for 15 seconds within 2 hours.
Holding and service
Hot hold at 135°F or above; cold hold at 41°F or below. Check temperatures at least every 4 hours. With time as a public health control, food may be held without temperature control for a limited period (4 hours, or 6 hours for cold ready-to-eat food under FDA conditions) and then discarded.
Prevent bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food; use gloves, deli tissue, or utensils. Change gloves between tasks. Protect self-service food with sneeze guards and clean utensils.
Traps
- Applying the 4-minute rest to ground meat or poultry - it applies only to whole cuts and fish.
- Quoting the cooling stages separately instead of the total 6 hours.
- Using hand sanitizer in place of handwashing.
Rule of thumb
165 / 155 / 145 - say it out loud, then verify with a calibrated probe thermometer.