Dinesafe's Guide to Temperature Control And Storing Food Properly

Hi there. Welcome to Dinesafe’s guide to temperature control and storing food properly. Most food poisonings are caused by temperature abuse during the storage of hazardous foods. A few examples include storage in the refrigerator and holding hazardous foods on a steam table at improper temperatures. Use a probe thermometer to take the internal temperature of food. Remember to insert it into the thickest part of the food. Pathogenic bacteria grow quickly in the danger Zone, which is between 4 and 60°C. Hot food should be kept at 60°C or above. Cold food should be kept at 4°C or below. Frozen food should be kept at -18°C or below. Remember to keep food out of the Danger Zone! Do not allow hazardous food to be in the Danger Zone for long periods of time when preparing food. Cool food quickly using shallow pans or an ice bath. Quickly reheat food to at least the normal cooking temperature. Cook and reheat hazardous foods to the proper internal temperatures. Cook whole poultry to 82°C (180°F), and parts of poultry to 74°C (165°F). Cook ground beef and pork to 71°C (160°F). Cook fish to 70°C (158°F). Cook mixtures of hazardous foods, such as lasagna, to 74°C (165°F). Cook hamburger all the way through to an internal temperature of 71°C. Always fully cook poultry. Never partially cook it and finish cooking it later! To safely defrost food, don’t let it sit at room temperature. You can safely defrost food in the refrigerator overnight, in the sink under running cold water, or in the microwave. Prepare food from the microwave right away. Pathogenic bacteria will NOT grow at -18°C, but will survive. You can kill pathogenic bacteria and their eggs by storing hazardous food at either: -20°C or below for 7 days, -35°C or below for 15 hours, or -18°C for 21 days. Here are some pointers for how to properly store food. Keep food covered using things like plastic containers with a lid, or plastic wrap. Store cooked and ready to eat foods above raw food. Food items MUST be stored at least 15 cm (or 6 inches) off the ground. Shelves and skids are ideal for this. For more information about Dinesafe, contact Toronto Public Health at 416 338 7600, or visit toronto.ca/health