Time and Temperature Control 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 Time and Temperature Control flashcards as text
A food handler places raw chicken directly above ready-to-eat lettuce in a walk-in cooler. What food safety principle is violated?
Answer: Cross-contamination prevention through proper storage order
Raw poultry must be stored below ready-to-eat foods to prevent raw juices from dripping onto and contaminating food that will not be cooked further.
Which internal temperature must whole-muscle intact beef steaks reach when cooked and served immediately (no holding)?
Answer: 145°F (63°C) for 15 seconds
Whole-muscle intact beef steaks cooked for immediate service must reach 145°F (63°C) for 15 seconds per ServSafe guidelines.
An operation uses time as a public health control for TCS food on a sushi bar. After 4 hours without temperature control, the food must be:
Answer: Discarded
When using time as a public health control, TCS food that has not been sold or served within 4 hours must be discarded, not saved.
A bimetallic stemmed thermometer must be calibrated before use. Which method uses a mixture of ice and water to set the thermometer to 32°F (0°C)?
Answer: Ice-point method
The ice-point method submerges the stem in a 50/50 ice-water slurry and adjusts the calibration nut until the thermometer reads 32°F (0°C).
Ready-to-eat TCS food prepared in-house must be date-marked and consumed or discarded within how many days if held at 41°F (5°C)?
Answer: 7 days
Ready-to-eat TCS food held at 41°F (5°C) or lower must be used or discarded within 7 days, counting the day of preparation as day 1.
A food worker checks the temperature of a walk-in cooler and finds it reading 46°F (8°C). What is the FIRST corrective action?
Answer: Move all TCS food to a functioning cooler immediately
The immediate priority is to move TCS food to a unit that can maintain 41°F (5°C) or lower to prevent further temperature abuse.
Which pathogen is most commonly associated with temperature-abused cooked rice and starchy foods?
Answer: Bacillus cereus
Bacillus cereus produces heat-resistant spores that survive cooking and germinate when cooked starchy foods like rice are held in the temperature danger zone.