TFM Food Safety Fundamentals 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How long can Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) food safely remain in the temperature danger zone?
- 1 hour total
- 2 hours total
- 4 hours total (Correct answer)
- 6 hours total
Correct answer: 4 hours total
TCS foods should not remain in the temperature danger zone (41°F–135°F) for more than 4 cumulative hours before being discarded.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of a TCS (Time/Temperature Control for Safety) food?
- Dry rice (uncooked)
- Whole uncut watermelon
- Cooked pasta (Correct answer)
- Crackers in sealed packaging
Correct answer: Cooked pasta
Cooked pasta is a TCS food because cooking makes it moist and capable of supporting rapid bacterial growth without proper temperature control.
Question 3: What action should a food manager take when receiving a shipment of ground beef at 50°F?
- Accept it and refrigerate immediately
- Accept it if it looks and smells fine
- Reject it because it exceeds the safe receiving temperature (Correct answer)
- Cook it immediately
Correct answer: Reject it because it exceeds the safe receiving temperature
Ground beef must be received at 41°F or below; a delivery temperature of 50°F exceeds the safe limit and the shipment must be rejected.
Question 4: Which thermometer type is best for measuring the internal temperature of thick foods?
- Surface thermometer
- Bimetallic stemmed thermometer (Correct answer)
- Infrared thermometer
- Glass thermometer
Correct answer: Bimetallic stemmed thermometer
A bimetallic stemmed thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of a food to accurately measure internal temperature.
Question 5: What is the correct method to cool a large pot of hot soup quickly?
- Leave it on the counter overnight
- Place it directly in a walk-in cooler while still very hot
- Use an ice bath and stir frequently (Correct answer)
- Cover tightly and refrigerate after 2 hours
Correct answer: Use an ice bath and stir frequently
An ice bath with frequent stirring rapidly reduces the temperature of large volumes of food through the danger zone safely.
Question 6: When calibrating a thermometer using the ice-point method, what should the reading be?
- 0°F
- 32°F (Correct answer)
- 41°F
- 212°F
Correct answer: 32°F
In the ice-point calibration method, a properly calibrated thermometer should read 32°F when submerged in an ice-water slurry.
TFM Food Safety Fundamentals 2
How long can Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) food safely remain in the temperature danger zone?