Category: Temperature control
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Reheating Cooked Foods
Reheated foods, particularly meat and poultry, are often implicated in cases of food poisoning. Some food handlers make the mistake of thinking that because food is cooked, it’s free from bacteria and it is sufficient just to warm it up. This is a very dangerous misapprehension. In fact not all bacteria, particularly the spore forming…
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Keep Out of the Danger Zone
It is essential to keep prepared food out of the temperature danger zone. If food is not going to be served within a very short time after cooking, then it should be cooled to under 10°C (50°F) within 90 minutes. The food must then be refrigerated immediately once cooled. Quick cooling is important. While the…
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Keeping Hot Food Hot
It is usually safe to eat high risk foods immediately after cooking, providing the cooking temperature was sufficiently high to kill the bacteria. If, however, even a short period of time elapses between cooking and eating then bacteria has a chance to multiply again. You can avoid this by storing the food in a heated…
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Temperature control – Cooking with soups, stocks and eggs
Soups and stocks It is much safer to prepare soups and stocks in small quantities and throw away any left over at the end of the day. [Hmmm, if it’s stored properly in the fridge or freezer there’s no real need for the home cook to throw it away.] It is bad practice to top…
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Temperature control – Cooking meat and poultry
Most bacteria will not survive at temperatures above 70°C (160°F). This is why food must be cooked or reheated thoroughly. The temperature must be reached throughout the food and maintained for several minutes. Bacteria on meat are usually on the surface and easily killed by cooking. However, in a rolled joint or in minced meat…