ServSafe Certification Food Handling 3 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: A manager discovers that chicken salad has been sitting at room temperature (68°F) for 5 hours. What should they do?
- Reheat it to 165°F and serve immediately
- Refrigerate it and use within 24 hours
- Discard it (Correct answer)
- Add ice and continue serving
Correct answer: Discard it
TCS food left in the danger zone for more than 4 hours must be discarded because it is no longer safe.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of physical contamination of food?
- Salmonella from raw poultry dripping onto lettuce
- A staple from a food bag falling into soup (Correct answer)
- Pesticide residue on unwashed produce
- Norovirus spread by an ill food handler
Correct answer: A staple from a food bag falling into soup
Physical contamination occurs when a foreign object, such as a metal staple, enters food.
Question 3: What is the correct order for washing dishes manually in a three-compartment sink?
- Rinse â Wash â Sanitize â Air-dry
- Wash â Rinse â Sanitize â Air-dry (Correct answer)
- Sanitize â Wash â Rinse â Air-dry
- Wash â Sanitize â Rinse â Air-dry
Correct answer: Wash â Rinse â Sanitize â Air-dry
The correct sequence is wash in detergent, rinse away detergent, sanitize, then air-dry â never towel-dry.
Question 4: A food handler uses bare hands to plate ready-to-eat sandwiches because they have no cuts or sores. This practice is:
- Acceptable if hands were washed immediately before
- Acceptable only for foods that will be served the same day
- Unacceptable â ready-to-eat food must not be touched with bare hands (Correct answer)
- Acceptable if gloves are unavailable
Correct answer: Unacceptable â ready-to-eat food must not be touched with bare hands
ServSafe prohibits bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods to prevent pathogen transfer, regardless of hand condition.
Question 5: Cooked rice must be cooled from 135°F to 70°F within how many hours?
- 1 hour
- 2 hours (Correct answer)
- 4 hours
- 6 hours
Correct answer: 2 hours
ServSafe requires hot TCS food to pass through 135°Fâ70°F within 2 hours as the first stage of the two-stage cooling process.
Question 6: Which method is NOT an approved way to thaw frozen food safely?
- In a refrigerator at 41°F or below
- Under cold running water (70°F or lower)
- As part of the cooking process
- On the counter at room temperature (Correct answer)
Correct answer: On the counter at room temperature
Thawing at room temperature allows the outer layers to enter the danger zone while the interior remains frozen.
Question 7: A food handler develops vomiting and diarrhea during their shift. The manager should:
- Allow them to finish the shift if they feel well enough
- Restrict them to non-food-contact duties only
- Exclude them from the operation immediately (Correct answer)
- Have them wear double gloves and continue working
Correct answer: Exclude them from the operation immediately
Vomiting and diarrhea are symptoms that require immediate exclusion from the food service operation.
ServSafe Certification Food Handling 3
A manager discovers that chicken salad has been sitting at room temperature (68°F) for 5 hours.
What should they do?