ServSafe Manager Course Section 4

What is the most basic way to help prevent cross-contamination?

Separating raw and ready-to-eat food

How to prevent cross-contamination, prep-area wise?

Having different colors for different prep things (red cutting board for raw meat, etc.) and prepping raw foods and ready-to-eat foods at different times

What are some corrective actions that food handlers can take when they notice that food has been sitting in the time temperature danger zone for a bit?

Either reheat the food or throw it out completely

What are the common types of thermometers?

Bimetallic stemmed thermometer, thermocouples, and thermistors

What is a bimetallic stemmed thermometer?

Used to check temperatures between 0 and 220 degrees F, and includes an indicator head, calibration nut, stem, and dimple

How far must you stick a bimetallic stemmed thermometer into food to get an accurate reading

to the dimple on the stem - the dimple is the small little hole that marks the end of the temperature sensing area

what types of foods are bimetallic stemmed thermometers best for checking?

Thick foods

What are thermocouples and thermistors?

Measuring temperature through a metal probe and the temperatures are displayed digitally

How far must you stick a thermacouple or thermistor probe into food to get an accurate reading

To the tip of the probe

What types of foods are thermocouples and thermistors best for checking

Both thick and thin foods

Which probe is best for checking the temperature of a ground beef patty?

Penetration probe because it has a sharp tip

Which probe is best for checking the temperature of a large stockpot of soup?

Immersion probe because you want to get down to the center

Which probe is best for checking the surface temperature of a griddle

Surface probe

Which probe is best for checking the temperature of a cooler

Air probe

What are infrared temperatures

Checking the temperature of food and equipment surfaces (the laser thing at soul cups)

What are maximum registering thermometers?

It indicates the highest temperature reached during use and its good for checking the dishwasher final rinse temperature

What is a time-temperature indicator?

Mainly used by suppliers but it monitors both time and temperature and it changes color when there are indications of abuse

What are temperature recorders

It checks and records temperatures during shipment and checks to ensure that the vehicle that the food was transported in was at a safe temperature

What are some general thermometer guidelines?

Need to be washed, rinsed, and sanitized; there’s needs to be a lot of clean and sanitized ones on hand at the operation; they often need to be recalibrated

What are the 2 ways to calibrate a thermometer?

Adjust it to the temperature at which water freezes; or adjust it to the temperature at which water boils

When do thermometers need to be cleaned and sanitized?

Before and after they’re used

When should thermometers be calibrated?

Before each shift, before deliveries arrive, after they’re bumped or dropped, or after being exposed to extreme temperatures

How accurate should food thermometers be?

Within ± 2 degrees F

How accurate should air thermometer temperatures be?

within ± 3 degrees F

Which practice can help prevent cross-contamination?

Using color-coded cutting boards

To help prevent time-temperature abuse of food, a manager should provide thermometers, timers, and forms to record:

the temperatures and times that they were taken

Beef stew has been held at a temperature below 135 degrees F for more than 4 hours. What should be done with the stew?

It should be thrown out

What probe should be used to check the temperature of a chicken breast?

Penetration probe

Which thermometer is limited to measuring the surface temperature of food?

Infrared Thermometer

Which thermometer is best for measuring the final rinse temperature in a dishwashing machine?

A maximum registering thermometer

When checking the temperature of food, where should the thermometer stem or probe be placed?

In the thickest part of the food