Room Temperature Food Safety

How to keep food out of the temperature danger zone.

Room temperature food safety.

Throw away any perishable foods that have been out at room temperature for 2 hours or more. Food left out for too long at room temperature is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria like staphylococcus aureus and salmonella to grow to dangerous levels that can cause illness. Refrigerate within 1 hour if the temperature outside is above 90 f. Never leave perishable food out for more than 2 hours or 1 hour if it s hotter than 90 f outside.

Bacteria can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature or in the danger zone between 40 f and 140 f. Any foods that can go bad like raw or cooked meat poultry and eggs must thaw at safe temperatures. For cold foods the food safe temperature is 40 degrees fahrenheit and below. For hot foods the safe temperature is above 140 degrees fahrenheit.

Be sure to use a food thermometer to check whether meat has reached a safe internal temperature that is hot enough to kill harmful germs that cause food poisoning. Safe minimum cooking temperatures charts follow the guidelines below for minimum cooking temperatures and rest time for meat poultry seafood and other cooked foods. Additionally if you re operating in a warm kitchen that s above 90 degrees fahrenheit your food shouldn t be in the danger zone for longer than an hour. That means leaving any raw poultry raw beef or any.

Store and reheat leftovers the right way. Never allow meat poultry seafood eggs or produce or other foods that require refrigeration to sit at room temperature for more than two hours one hour if the air temperature is above 90 f. The warmer temperature can help bacteria grow faster making it more important for you to heat or chill it to safe temperatures quickly. When frozen food gets warmer than 40 degrees or is at room temperature for more than 2.

Food must be kept at a safe temperature during thawing. Keep your refrigerator at 40 f or below and know when to throw food out.