Warm, moist conditions are the perfect conditions for bacteria and other microorganisms to grow and multiply. So, keeping food between 0°C and 4 °C helps to prevent any unwanted microbe growth, without freezing the food. Meanwhile, the optimum freezer temperature is -18 °C.
All chilled foods, especially high-risk foods, must be kept at 8°C or below while in storage. This is because the growth of bacteria is slowed at this temperature, ensuring that it is safe to eat for a longer period of time.
Generally, potentially hazardous food must always be at 5oC or colder, or 60oC or hotter to keep it safe. You can only keep food at another temperature if you can show it stays safe at that temperature.
Food held between 5oC and 60oC for less than 2 hours can be used, sold or put back in the refrigerator to use later. Food held between 5oC and 60oC for 2-4 hours can still be used or sold, but can't be put back in the fridge. Food held between 5oC and 60oC for 4 hours or more must be thrown away.
Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." Never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours.
Cook: Cook your food to a temperature ranging between 145 and 165 degrees F to kill bacteria, including Salmonella. The CDC advises against cooking or storing food in the danger zone between 40 degrees F and 140 degrees F, which will cause bacteria to multiply.
The Food Standards Agency advises household fridges to be set at 5 degrees Celsius or below. This is because harmful bacteria grow best in what is known as the 'danger zone' between 8 degrees and 63 degrees.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the ideal temperature for a freezer is 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius) or below.
Make sure your refrigerator is set at 4 °C (40 °F) or lower and your freezer at -18 °C (0 °F) or lower. This will keep your food out of the temperature danger zone between 4 °C (40 °F) to 60 °C (140 °F) where bacteria can grow quickly.
Cooking foods at 165°F (74°C) or higher will quash any bacterial uprising and ensure your food is safe to eat. The longer food is heated above 165°F, the more bacteria you'll kill.
ServSafe states that 4 hours is the maximum length of time ready-to-eat foods can stay in the temperature danger zone. After the 4-hour limit, foods are considered spoiled and must be thrown away. Within the 4-hour time limit, foods can be consumed, reheated, or chilled to bring them back to food safe temperatures.
Keeping food out of the danger zone will ensure it's safe to eat by limiting the growth of bacteria. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) sets the danger zone between 8 °C and 60 °C, and this is the range you want to keep your food out of.
Plus, bacteria can multiply at room temperature. Remember the 2-Hour Rule: Discard any perishables left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, unless you're keeping it hot or cold.
How to check. When you're serving or displaying chilled food you can keep it above 8 degrees Celcius for a maximum of four hours. You can only do this once. Then you must throw away the food or keep it chilled until it's used.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that your refrigerator temperature should be at or below 40°F, and your freezer temperature at or below 0°F. However, the ideal refrigerator temperature is actually lower. Aim to stay between 35° and 38°F (or 1.7 to 3.3°C).
E. coli can be killed if the meat is cooked thoroughly. E. coli are also sometimes found in other foods including fruits and vegetables, as well as in unpasteurized milk products, juice, cider and untreated or contaminated drinking water.
Myth: If you let food sit out more than 2 hours, you can make it safe by reheating it really hot. Fact: Some bacteria, such as staphylococcus (staph) and Bacillus cereus, produce toxins not destroyed by high cooking temperatures.
Washington, D.C.—Tomato juice can kill Salmonella Typhi and other bacteria that can harm people's digestive and urinary tract health, according to research published this week in Microbiology Spectrum, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
Room temperature isn't a precise number. Rather, it's a range that spans about 68º to 72ºF. Because this is a general term, there's some wiggle room here, so if your house is a little chilly at 65º, it's still OK to call that butter room temp.
What is the correct temperature to serve hot food?
Once the food is cooked or reheated, it should be held hot, at or above 140 °F(60 °C). Food may be held in oven or on the serving line in heated chafing dishes, or on preheated steam tables, warming trays, and/or slow cookers.
If potentially hazardous foods are left in the danger zone for less than two hours, the food can be safely refrigerated or used immediately. If the time exceeds two hours in the danger zone, bacterial growth would be greater and the food could be unsafe.
