Food Service, Holding, and Display
Temperature control at service
Hot TCS food must be held at 135°F or above; cold TCS food at 41°F or below. Check and record temperatures at least every 4 hours - the interval matches the maximum time food may sit in the danger zone before it must be discarded. If you have not monitored the food, you cannot prove it is safe, so it must be thrown out. Hold hot food in equipment designed for hot holding, never in a steam table used to reheat, and never use hot holding to bring food up to temperature.
Time as a public health control (TPHC)
With written procedures and a marked time, food may be held without temperature control for 4 hours, then discarded. A 6-hour option exists only if the food starts at 41°F or below, never exceeds 70°F, and is discarded at the end of 6 hours. TPHC can never be reset by returning the food to refrigeration.
Display and self-service
Protect food with sneeze guards, packaging, or counter design; keep utensils in food with handles out; use single-use gloves and utensils for ready-to-eat food; provide clean plates at buffets so guests do not reuse them; keep ice scoops stored outside the ice; label displayed food and discard it after the allowed time. Off-site catering must maintain the same holding temperatures and protect food in transit.
Traps
Questions often describe food held for 5 hours without documentation and expect "discard," not "reheat." Watch for hot holding set to 130°F or 140°F - both fail the 135°F rule.
Rule of thumb
Monitor every 4 hours; if the food is out of range and unrecorded, discard it.