The Flow of Food: An Introduction

ServSafe Chapter 4 Notes

Guidelines for preventing cross contamination:

• Use _separate equipment_____, like different colored cutting boards and utensil _handles_______.

• _Clean and sanitize___ all work surfaces, equipment, and utensils after each task.
• Prep food at __different times_______.
• Buy __food___ that doesn’t require much prepping or handling.

Time-Temperature Control
• Pathogens grow BEST in the range of _ 70 F_____ to ___125 F____.
• If food is held in the temperature danger zone for more than ___4____ hours it must be thrown out.
• Food is being abused whenever it is handled in the following ways:
o Cooked to the wrong _internal temperature__.
o Held at the _wrong temperature____.
o __cooled________ or ___reheated ______ incorrectly.

Types of Thermometers
• _Bimetallic stemmed thermometer_____

o Can check temps from ___0 F_____ to __220 F_______

o The sensing area is from the __tip ______ to the ___dimple_____

o Good for __thick_____ or ___large____ food; not practical for thin food

o Must have: __calibration_____ nut, easy-to-read markings, and a __dimple_____

• ____Thermocouples____ and __thermistors______

o Temperature are displayed _digitally________
o Sensing area is on the ___tip_______ of the probe
o Good for both thick and thin foods
o Come in several styles and with different probes
 ▪ _Immersion____ probe
• Used to check the temperature of ___liquids______, like soups, sauces, and frying oil
▪ __Surface____ probe
• Used to check the temperature of flat cooking __equipment______, like griddles
▪ __Penetration____ probe
• Used to check the internal temperature of __foo____, especially thin foods like hamburger
patties and fish fillets
▪ ___Air____ probe
▪ Used to check the temperature inside __coolers____ and ___ovens____
• _Infrared (laser) Thermometers_____

o Measures the temperatures of food and equipment _surfaces______

o Does not need to touch a surface to check its temperature; means less chance for __cross
contamination____ and damage to food

o Can’t measure __air______ temperature or ____internal______ temperatures of

___food_________

o Doesn’t take reading through __metal ____ or _ glass____

• Other Temperature-Recording Devices

o __Maximum registering thermometer_____________

 Indicates the highest temperature reached during use and is used when
temperature readings cannot be continuously observed
o _Time Temperature Indicator_______ (TTI)
 Attached to packaging by the supplier
 A color change appears in the window if the food has been time-temperature abused during shipment
or storage. The color change is not __Reversible_____, so you know if the food has been abused.
o Temperature recording devices on food delivery trucks

General Thermometer Guidelines

• Cleaning and Sanitizing
o Must be washed, ___rinsed________, __sanitized______, and __air dried______
• Calibration

o Thermometers can lose their accuracy when they are bumped, dropped, or go through a
severe temperature change. When this happens, the thermometer must be calibrated, or
__adjusted _____, to give an accurate reading.
 o Calibration methods: __boiling____ point and __ice____ point
• Accuracy

o Thermometers that measure the temperature of food should be accurate to +/- _2_°F.

o Thermometers that measure of air must be accurate to +/- _3_°F.

• Checking the temperature

o Insert the probe into the _thickest __ part of the food.

o Take a second reading in a __different______ spot.

o Digital thermometers read instantly, but you should wait __15____ seconds before reading the results of a
bimetallic stemmed thermometer.