What are the minimum and recommended internal temperatures for reheating potentially hazardous food Celsius?

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Table of Contents Show

Enforcement
People at risk from food poisoning
Safety when cooking high-risk foods
High-risk foods and the temperature danger zone
Cook all food to a temperature of 75 °C
Food safety with raw eggs
Food safety and microwave cooking
Cooling and storing food
Reheat food to steaming hot
Where to get help

Improper cooling and reheating are major causes of foodborne illness. State Sanitary Code changes, which became effective August 19, 1992, were made after informational sessions and meetings with food service establishment operators and regulators and other food industry representatives. The new requirements call for changes in cooling and reheating potentially hazardous foods.

Potentially hazardous foods requiring refrigeration must be cooled by an adequate method so that every part of the product is reduced from 120 degrees Fahrenheit to 70 degrees Fahrenheit within two hours, and from 70 degrees Fahrenheit to 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below within four additional hours. Bacteria that cause food poisoning grow at temperatures between 45 degrees Fahrenheit and 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The cooling requirement limits the length of time that potentially hazardous food is in the temperature range at which harmful bacteria can grow. Foods particularly important to meet the cooling requirement include soups, sauces, gravies, stews, rice, chili, whole turkeys, turkey breasts and whole roast beef. Food temperatures should be measured with a stem thermometer.

During restaurant inspections, local health department sanitarians will be asking questions to determine if the cooling requirement was met.

Cooling

There are several ways to rapidly cool potentially hazardous food. The manager of the establishment should determine which method or combination of methods is most effective for a particular food. The methods of cooling are:

Stir soups, sauces, gravies and chilies while the container is in an ice water bath. The ice water depth should be equal to or greater than the food depth.
Transfer hot foods to shallow pans with a product depth of four inches or less and refrigerate. Pans may be uncovered until the food temperature reaches 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut solid foods, such as roasts of meat, into portions of six pounds or less after cooking and prior to cooling.
Using special refrigerators known as "rapid chill units," specifically designed to cool foods much faster than standard refrigerators. These units are especially useful when large quantities of foods are prepared in advance.

During restaurant inspections, local health department sanitarians will be identifying potentially hazardous cooked foods to determine how they have been cooled.

Reheating

The State Sanitary Code now requires that the entire mass of all cooked and refrigerated potentially hazardous food which is to be reheated must be reheated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit or above within two hours, and held above 140 degrees Fahrenheit until served. This procedure destroys the bacteria that can cause food poisoning and prevents the bacteria from growing in the food.

Foods may be prepared as close to the serving time as possible, and in quantities that will minimize leftovers, thus eliminating any need for cooling and reheating.

During restaurant inspections, local health department sanitarians will monitor foods which have been reheated, or are in the process of being reheated, and measure their temperatures with a stem thermometer.

Enforcement

During inspections, foods that are cooled or reheated improperly will require immediate corrective actions and violations will be recorded on the inspection report form. Violations can result in enforcement action. Potentially hazardous food that is improperly cooled must be destroyed and discarded or the health department sanitarian will be required to embargo it. Foods under embargo may not be served to customers or otherwise removed from the premises until a hearing has been held to determine the disposition of the food.

If you have any questions about how this information affects your establishment, contact your local health department.

FOOD TEMPERATURE REQUIREMENTS

FOOD	MINIMUM INTERNAL COOKING TEMPERATURE
Rare roast beef and beef steak	130 degrees Fahrenheit
Precooked commercially prepared potentially hazardous foods and potentially hazardous foods not on this list	140 degrees Fahrenheit
Shell eggs and egg containing foods	145 degrees Fahrenheit
Pork	150 degrees Fahrenheit
Ground Meat	158 degrees Fahrenheit
Poultry, poultry stuffing, stuffed meats and stuffing containing meat	165 degrees Fahrenheit
COOLING REQUIREMENTS
For all of the above foods	120 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit within 2 hours and 70 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit in 4 additional hours
REHEATING REQUIREMENTS
For all of the above foods	165 degrees Fahrenheit

Cook food properly – to at least 75 °C or hotter.
Use a thermometer to check the temperature of cooked foods.
If you use a microwave, check that the food is cooked evenly throughout.
Cook foods made from eggs thoroughly.
Cool and store cooked food as soon as possible.
Reheat food until steaming hot.

The way we cook our food is as important as the way we prepare and store it. Inadequate cooking is a common cause of food poisoning. Cross-contamination from raw to cooked foods, such as from hands, chopping boards or utensils, can also cause food poisoning. Most foods, especially meat, poultry, fish and eggs, should be cooked thoroughly to kill most types of food poisoning bacteria.

In general, food should be cooked to a temperature of at least 75 °C or hotter. When food is cooked, it should be eaten promptly, kept hotter than 60 °C, or cooled, covered and stored in the fridge or freezer.

Watch this video about cooking food safely.

People at risk from food poisoning

Some people are more at risk from food poisoning than others. Vulnerable groups include:

pregnant women
young children
the elderly
anyone with a chronic illness.

Special care should be taken when preparing, cooking, serving and storing food for these groups.

Safety when cooking high-risk foods

Food poisoning bacteria grow more easily on some foods than others. High-risk foods include:

raw and cooked meat - such as chicken and minced meat, and foods containing them, such as casseroles, curries and lasagne
dairy products - such as custard and dairy based desserts like custard tarts and cheesecake
eggs and egg products - such as mousse
small goods - such as ham and salami
seafood - such as seafood salad, patties, fish balls, stews containing seafood and fish stock
cooked rice and pasta
prepared salads - such as coleslaws, pasta salads and rice salads
prepared fruit salads
ready-to-eat foods - such as sandwiches, rolls, and pizza that contain any of the food above.

High-risk foods and the temperature danger zone

Take care with high-risk foods. You should remember to:

Keep high-risk foods out of the temperature danger zone of between 5 °C and 60 °C.
If high-risk foods have been left in the temperature danger zone for up to 2 hours the food should be reheated, refrigerated or consumed.
If high-risk foods have been left in the temperature danger zone for longer than 2 hours, but less than 4 hours, they should be consumed immediately.
Throw out any high-risk foods that have been left in the temperature danger zone for more than 4 hours.

Cook all food to a temperature of 75 °C

How you cook food is very important. Different foods need a different approach:

Aim for an internal temperature of 75 °C or hotter when you cook food. Heating foods to this temperature kills most food poisoning bacteria. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of foods during the cooking process.
Cook mince, sausages, whole chickens or stuffed meats right through to the centre. You should not be able to see any pink meat and the juices should be clear.
Generally you can cook steak, chops and whole cuts of red meat to your preference as food poisoning bacteria are mostly on the surface. However, if you are at a greater risk of the more serious effects of toxoplasmosis (for example, you are pregnant or immunocompromised) you should ensure your meat is cooked thoroughly to reduce that risk.
Cook fish until it flakes easily with a fork.
Cook foods made from eggs such as omelettes and baked egg custards thoroughly.

Food safety with raw eggs

Take extra care when preparing foods that contain raw egg, such as homemade mayonnaise, sauces, such as hollandaise, and desserts, such as tiramisu and mousse. Bacteria present on eggshells and inside the egg can contaminate these types of food and cause food poisoning.

Avoid giving food containing raw eggs to pregnant women, young children, elderly people and anyone with a chronic illness.

Food safety and microwave cooking

Microwaves are a quick and convenient way to cook food. However, if they are not used correctly, they can cook food unevenly. This may leave food partially cooked or not reaching a uniform temperature of 75 °C. When you cook food in the microwave:

Cut food into evenly sized pieces if possible or put larger or thicker items towards the outside edge of the dish.
Cover the food with a microwave-safe lid or microwave plastic wrap. This will trap the steam and promote more even cooking.
Rotate and stir food during cooking.
Wait until the standing time is over before you check that the cooking is complete. Food continues to cook even after the microwave is turned off.

Cooling and storing food

If you need to store food for later use, wait until the steam stops rising, cover the food and put it in the fridge. This helps keep the food out of the temperature danger zone as fast as possible. Large portions of food cool faster when you put them into shallow trays or divide them into smaller portions. If you need to keep food warm, keep it hotter than 60 °C and out of the temperature danger zone. Under ideal conditions, cooked food can be stored in the fridge for a few days. If you want to keep cooked food longer, freeze the food immediately after cooling in the fridge.

Always store cooked food separately from raw food, especially raw meats, poultry and fish. Keep raw meats and poultry at the bottom of the fridge to avoid raw juices dripping onto other food. Ensure that all food is covered or sealed.

Reheat food to steaming hot

Reheat food until it is steaming hot - above 75 °C or, preferably, boiling. Food should steam throughout, not just on the edges. Take care when reheating food in a microwave oven. Follow the same actions as when cooking with a microwave to ensure all the food is heated to above 75 °C.

Where to get help

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