Food Handling Flashcards
7 cards from real SERVSAFE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Food Handling flashcards as text
A manager discovers that chicken salad has been sitting at room temperature (68°F) for 5 hours. What should they do?
Answer: Discard it
TCS food left in the danger zone for more than 4 hours must be discarded because it is no longer safe.
Which of the following is an example of physical contamination of food?
Answer: A staple from a food bag falling into soup
Physical contamination occurs when a foreign object, such as a metal staple, enters food.
What is the correct order for washing dishes manually in a three-compartment sink?
Answer: Wash → Rinse → Sanitize → Air-dry
The correct sequence is wash in detergent, rinse away detergent, sanitize, then air-dry — never towel-dry.
A food handler uses bare hands to plate ready-to-eat sandwiches because they have no cuts or sores. This practice is:
Answer: Unacceptable — 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.
Cooked rice must be cooled from 135°F to 70°F within how many hours?
Answer: 2 hours
ServSafe requires hot TCS food to pass through 135°F→70°F within 2 hours as the first stage of the two-stage cooling process.
Which method is NOT an approved way to thaw frozen food safely?
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.
A food handler develops vomiting and diarrhea during their shift. The manager should:
Answer: Exclude them from the operation immediately
Vomiting and diarrhea are symptoms that require immediate exclusion from the food service operation.