Time/temperature danger zone

Keeping food safe requires keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold. This may sound easy to do, but failure to follow this simple rule often is a factor in foodborne illness. Bacteria that cause foodborne illness multiply and grow at temperatures between 41°F and 140°F, which is known as the danger zone. Temperatures between 70°F and 120°F allow microorganisms to grow especially fast.

Perishable food should be thrown away if it has been kept at temperatures between 40°F and 140°F for more than two hours. This is known as the time/temperature danger zone. Perishable food includes both hot and cold foods. That means cooked food must be kept hotter than 140°F until it is served. Cold foods such as salads, lunchmeats, and dairy products should be kept below 40°F.

Here are some tips to help keep food out of the time/temperature danger zone.

• Keep cold foods at 40°F or lower.
  • Refrigeration slows down the growth of most, but not all bacteria.
  • Freezing at 0°F stops the growth of bacteria but does not kill them.
• Keep hot foods at 140°F or higher.
  • Boiling, baking, frying, and roasting kill most bacteria because tempeartures reach 160°F to 212°F.
  • Leftover foods should be reheated to 165°F or higher to kill any bacteria that grow during storage.
  • Improperly stored or handled foods cannot be made safe by reheating because too many bacteria remain and/or some toxins produced by bacteria are resistant to heat.

   

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