Thawing and Preparing Food

Foods taken from storage for thawing and preparation must be monitored. When a frozen food has to be thawed, or when TCS foods are being prepared, they are taken from their temperature-controlled storage and placed in the temperature danger zone, where they must be monitored carefully to ensure pathogen growth is under control.

Thawing

Foods must never thaw at room temperature. Thawing temperature has to be controlled, and there are only four correct ways to thaw frozen foods:

• In the cooler at 41° F or lower
• In a microwave (if the food is to be cooked immediately)
• Submerged under 70° F or lower running water
• As a part of the cooking process (such as a frozen hamburger patty)

The temperature of foods thawing under the running water must be monitored and never allowed to get above 41° F for longer than four hours.

During Preparation

Foods must also be monitored during preparation. Preparing TCS foods puts them directly into the temperature danger zone and it is unsafe for them to sit out too long. Never prepare TCS foods in large batches so ingredients are kept from spending too much time in the temperature danger zone. Return prepared TCS foods to the cooler as soon as possible.

Cooking Food and Beyond

After thawing and preparation, foods move to cooking, holding, cooling, and possible reheating. Time and temperature must be monitored during these stages by using the correct thermometer, and by minimizing the time foods spend in the temperature danger zone. There are guidelines for cooking, holding, cooling, and reheating foods.

Cooking to Internal Food Temperatures

Foods must be cooked to proper internal temperatures for the correct amount of time to reduce pathogens that may be present. Certain foods must reach a specific internal cooking temperature to eliminate pathogens commonly found in them, and to reduce the likelihood of foodborne illness.

• Poultry (whole or ground chicken, turkey, or duck) must reach 165° F for 15 seconds
• Ground meat (beef, pork, and other meat) must reach 155° F for 15 seconds
• Seafood (fish, shellfish, and crustaceans) must reach 145° F for 15 seconds
• Pork, beef, veal, and lamb steaks or chops must reach 145° F for 15 seconds
• Pork, beef, veal, and lamb roasts must reach 145° F for four minutes
• Fruit, vegetables, grains (rice and pasta), and beans that will be held hot must reach 135° F for 15 seconds

At-Risk Populations

Some groups of people are at a higher risk of foodborne illness due to weaker immune systems. They include the elderly, preschool-age children, and anyone with a compromised immune system due to illness (such as chemotherapy patients). Hospitals and day care facilities have additional guidelines for these groups, so check with your manager for policy information.

Using a Microwave Oven

Microwave cooked meat, seafood, poultry, and eggs must reach 165° F. Microwave-cooked foods should be covered to keep their surface from drying, and rotated halfway to ensure even cooking. The cooked food should stand for two minutes to evenly disperse the temperature and should be checked with a thermometer in at least two spots to ensure it is cooked throughout.

Holding Food

TCS foods should be time and temperature controlled during hot and cold holding, which should take place in food-grade equipment such as steam buffet tables or refrigerated buffet tables. Hot foods must be held at 135° F or higher and cold foods must be held at 41° F or lower. Temperatures should be taken every four hours and your manager should be notified if a food is not at its correct holding temperature.

Cooling Food

Hot TCS foods must be cooled before entering cold storage. Never put a large container of hot food in the cooler, and never cool food at room temperature. The safest cooling methods are to: reduce the size of the food, submerge the container in an ice bath, stir food with an ice paddle, add ice to the food, or use a blast chiller. Foods must cool from 135° F to 70° F in two hours, then down to 41° F or lower in the next four hours. Foods that do not cool to 70° F in two hours have to be reheated and cooled again to control pathogen growth.

Reheating Food

Certain TCS foods have specific reheating temperatures. Foods that are reheated and then held for service, like soups, must reach 165° F for 15 seconds in two hours. Processed packaged food, like fried mozzarella sticks, must reach 135° F. Never use hot-holding equipment to reheat foods.

Cross-Contamination

Cross-contamination happens when pathogens are passed and spread from one person, thing, food, or surface to anotherand can lead to foodborne illness. Reject food and non-food items that are received open, torn, water damaged, leaking, discolored, smelly, rusty, dented, swollen, etc. These could signal contamination and could cross-contaminate your establishment.

Preventing Cross-Contamination

When storing foods, you should use designated areas for certain items and always wrap them to prevent something falling into them. Never reuse chemical containers to store food—use only food-grade containers. Always store and transport raw and ready-to-eat foods separately. When storing food in the same refrigerated cooler, store on shelves top to bottom in this order:

• Ready-to-eat foods
• Seafood
• Whole cuts of meat
• Ground meat and ground fish
• All poultry

Store non-food items away from walls and at least six inches from the floor.

During Food Preparation

It is easy to cross-contaminate while preparing raw and ready-to-eat foods at the same time if you’re not paying attention. But if you cross-contaminate, you could cause customers or coworkers to get sick. There are guidelines to follow when preparing foods.

Safe Practices with Tools and Surfaces

Work stations, tables, cutting boards, knives, equipment, and utensils must be cleaned and sanitized. Prep raw meat, seafood, and poultry at different times or in different areas than ready-to-eat foods. Clean and sanitize everything between tasks.

Safe Practices with Produce

Ready-to-eat foods and fresh produce must not come into contact with anything that’s been used for raw meat, seafood, or poultry. Produce must be washed and soaked at the prep sink under slightly warm water, between any leaves and ribs where dirt collects. Never mix different items when soaking. The prep sink must be washed and sanitized before use and used only to prep food.