Division of Environmental Health Food Safety and Sanitation Program

Temperature Controls

Controlling Temperature for Safety

Potentially Hazardous and Non-Potentially Hazardous Foods

Potentially hazardous foods require time or temperature control to limit the growth of dangerous microorganisms and the formation of toxins. When these foods are not prepared and held with the proper controls, they can be unsafe to consume due to the risk of foodborne illness.

Non-potentially hazardous foods do not need to be kept at certain temperatures to be safe for people to eat.The growth of dangerous microorganisms and the formation of toxins is limited in these foods due to their pH values, water activity values, or a combination of pH and water activity values.

Visit the Determining Non-Potentially Hazardous Foods webpage for more information

"Danger Zone" Temperatures

The "Danger Zone" for potentially hazardous foods is between 41 degrees Fahrenheit and 135 degrees Fahrenheit. For potentially hazardous foods, bacterial growth and toxin formation is greatest in this temperature range.

It is important that potentially hazardous food spend as little time in the "Danger Zone" as possible. Temperature controls may keep food out of this temperature range completely or may pass food through the dangerous temperature range as quickly as possible.

Receiving

When receiving a food product, the following items are required:

• There is no evidence of temperature abuse
• If refrigerated, the product is received at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below
• If cooked and received hot, the product is received at 135 degrees Fahrenheit or above
• If labeled frozen and shipped frozen, the product is received frozen
• Raw eggs are received in refrigerated equipment that maintains an ambient temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below

Discard or do not accept any food product that does not meet the receiving requirements. That product may not be served to consumers.

Thawing

Frozen food products must be thawed according to one of the following methods:

• In a refrigeration unit; or
• In a microwave oven and immediately transferred to conventional cooking equipment with no interruption in the process; or
• As part of a cooking process, if the food that is frozen is cooked according to cooking requirements; or
• While the food is completely submerged under running potable water
  • At 70 degrees Fahrenheit or below; and
  • With sufficient water velocity to agitate and float off loose particles in an overflow until thawed; and
  • After being thawed, is immediately cooked or refrigerated for a period of time that does not allow
  • Ready-to-eat food to rise above 41 degrees Fahrenheit; or
  • Raw animal food requiring cooking to be above 41 degrees Fahrenheit for more than four hours (this includes the time the food is exposed to the running water and the time needed to otherwise prepare the food for cooking)

Cooling

Temperatures at or below 41 degrees Fahrenheit slow the growth of dangerous bacteria. Potentially hazardous foods that are being cooled must pass through the "Danger Zone" as quickly as possible.

• Potentially hazardous foods that have been cooked: Must be cooled to 70 degrees Fahrenheit within two hours and completely cooled to 41 degrees Fahrenheit within six hours
• Potentially hazardous foods that have been prepared at room temperature: Must be completely cooled to 41 degrees Fahrenheit within four hours

Food that is cooling must be placed in a food container that is clearly marked with the date and the time that the cooling process began.

Cold- and Hot-Holding

Do not hold foods at internal temperatures between 41 degrees Fahrenheit and 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures in that range allow for the rapid growth of bacteria that can make people sick.

Potentially hazardous foods must be kept:

• Cold at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below; or
• Hot at 135 degrees Fahrenheit or above (except rare beef, which may be held at 130 degrees Fahreneheit or above).

Any potentially hazardous food that has been cooked and cooled must be reheated to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit within the two hours prior to the food being placed in hot holding.

Reheating

Any potentially hazardous food that has been cooked and cooled and is being reheated and put in hot holding must be reheated to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit within the two hours prior to the food being placed in hot holding. Additionally, it must be reheated:

• Without interruption in the reheating process
• So that all parts of the food reach the correct internal temperature
• According to the following steps if a microwave is used:
  • Rotate or stir at least once midway through the reheating process to compensate for uneven heat distribution
  • Cover to retain surface moisture
  • Heated to a temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit in all parts of the food and allow the food to stand, covered, for two minutes after reheating

If the food is ready-to-eat, commercially processed, and taken from a hermetically sealed container or from an intact package from an approved food processing establishment, it must be reheated to a temperature of at least 135 degrees Fahrenheit within two hours or less of being place in hot holding.

Cooking

Cooking food to the proper internal temperature is an important step in destroying bacteria that cause foodborne illness. Foods are safely cooked when they reach the correct internal temperature for the correct amount of time.

Using a food thermometer is the only way to be certain that a food has been cooked thoroughly to the proper temperature. To use a food thermometer:

• Insert the thermometer into the middle of the thickest part of the food, away from bone or fat - this is the part of the food that cooks the slowest
• Check the temperature in several locations, if necessary
• Wash the thermometer with soap and water between each use to avoid possible contamination between uncooked and cooked areas of food

Tables: Cooking Temperatures and Time

• Table 1. Minimum Internal Temperatures and Time
• Table 2. Whole Meat Roasts: Oven Types and Oven Temperatures (Based on the Weight of the Roast)
• Table 3. Whole Meat Roasts: Minimum Internal Temperaturers and Time

Table 2. Whole Meat Roasts: Oven Types and Oven Temperatures (Based on the Weight of the Roast)

Type of Oven or Method	Roasts That Weigh Less Than 10 pounds	Roasts That Weigh 10 pounds or More
Standard or still dry	350°F or above	250°F or above
Convection	325°F or above	250°F or above
High humidity*	250°F or below	250°F or below

*High humidity means relative humidity greater than 90 percent for at least one hour, measured in the cooking chamber or exit of the oven. This includes the use of a moisture-impermeable bag that provides 100 percent humidity.

Table 3. Whole Meat Roasts: Minimum Internal Temperaturers and Time

Ovens must be preheated to the temperatures in the table and held at that temperature or a higher temperature for the duration of the roast's cooking time.

*Time may include post-oven heat rise.

Using a Microwave to Cook Raw Animal Products

If a microwave is used to cook raw animal products for human consumption, the food cooked in the microwave is required to be:

• Rotated throughout or stirred midway during the cooking process to compensate for uneven heat distribution;
• Covered to retain surface moisture;
• Heated to a temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit in all parts of the food; and
• Allowed to stand covered for two minutes after cooking to obtain temperature equilibrium.

Regulatory References

• 18 AAC 31 Alaska Food Code
• 18 AAC 31.230 Temperature and time control: receiving and thawing
• 18 AAC 31.232 Temperature and time control: cooking
• 18 AAC 31.234 Temperature and time control: hot- and cold-holding, cooling, and reheating for hot-holding

Resources and Contacts