Temperature Control

What core temperature should chicken reach when it is cooked?

• A75°C, and the same applies in Scotland as in the rest of the UK✓
• B82°C in Scotland and 75°C elsewhere, because Scottish cooking rules are stricter
• C63°C, which is the same as the minimum hot-holding temperature
• D100°C, so that the meat is certain to be safe all the way through

Answer: Cook to a core temperature of 75°C, or an equivalent time and temperature such as 70°C held for two minutes. That is the same across the UK — the requirement does not change at the Scottish border. The 82°C figure people associate with Scotland is real but applies to REHEATING: under the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006, food reheated for sale must reach 82°C, where England, Wales and Northern Ireland set no statutory reheat temperature. Mixing the two up is the commonest error on this topic.

What is the UK temperature danger zone for food?

• A15°C to 65°C
• B5°C to 60°C
• C0°C to 10°C
• D8°C to 63°C✓

Answer: The danger zone is 8°C to 63°C, where pathogenic bacteria multiply rapidly. Food must not be left in this zone longer than necessary.

How should hot food be cooled after cooking?

• AIt can be cooled slowly overnight on the kitchen bench
• BAs quickly as possible, ideally within 90 minutes, then refrigerate✓
• CIt can stay at room temperature indefinitely once it has been covered
• DKeep it above 63°C until the next service, then chill it

Answer: The law requires food to be cooled as quickly as possible. Guidance such as Safer Food, Better Business aims for about 90 minutes, then the food goes into the fridge. Shallow trays or a blast chiller speed up cooling.

What is the minimum temperature for hot holding food in a food business in England?

• A75°C
• B63°C✓
• C60°C
• D50°C

Answer: Hot food should be held at 63°C or above to prevent bacterial growth. By law it may fall below 63°C for one period of less than 2 hours for service or display. After that it should be reheated, chilled quickly or thrown away.

What temperature should reheated food reach in England?

• A65°C
• B75°C✓
• C82°C
• D60°C

Answer: In England, guidance is that reheated food should reach at least 75°C throughout. In Scotland the law sets 82°C. Both aim to kill pathogens before serving.

How should the core temperature of food be checked during cooking?

• ABy looking at the colour of the juices and the outside of the food only
• BBy the smell of the food as it comes out of the oven and nothing else
• CChecking is unnecessary as long as the oven timer has been set correctly
• DUsing a clean, calibrated food thermometer in the thickest part✓

Answer: A clean, calibrated food thermometer should be used to check core temperature in the thickest part of the meat to ensure safe cooking.

What should be done if you observe that a refrigerator temperature is 8°C when it should be 0-5°C?

• AContinue normal operations and note the reading in the temperature record book
• BMove food to a backup fridge; check and repair the fridge; review food safety✓
• CAdd ice inside the fridge to bring it down
• DLeave the fridge to settle on its own and check the reading again at the end of the day

Answer: A temperature above 5°C is a serious concern. The fridge must be repaired or replaced, and the cause must be investigated to ensure food safety.

How long can high-risk food be left at room temperature before it must be refrigerated or reheated?

• A30 minutes
• BUp to 4 hours as a single period, after which it must be used or discarded✓
• C2 hours at the most, provided that the food is covered
• D60 minutes

Answer: Food that needs temperature control may be kept out of it for a single period of up to 4 hours; after that it must be used, chilled again or thrown away, and it may only be done once. Do not confuse this with the 90-minute figure, which is the cooling requirement from 63°C to below 8°C.

What is the purpose of temperature monitoring in a food business?

• AMonitoring is unnecessary once staff have learned to judge temperature by touch
• BTo ensure refrigerators and cooking processes maintain safe temperatures✓
• CTo give supervisors a way of checking that staff are completing their paperwork
• DOnly to fill in the record book, since the readings themselves are never acted upon

Answer: Temperature monitoring ensures food is stored and cooked safely, preventing bacterial growth and foodborne illness. Records, proportionate to the business, are the evidence that the procedures work.

How should frozen food be safely thawed?

• AIn the refrigerator at 0-5°C✓
• BAt room temperature on a counter
• CIn a microwave without proper training
• DIn a sink of warm water until it feels soft

Answer: Safe thawing occurs in the refrigerator at 0-5°C. Other methods allow pathogens to multiply rapidly in the danger zone.

What is a 'temperature probe' and how is it used correctly?

• AA clean, calibrated device to check core temperature of food✓
• BA piece of optional equipment that only large catering businesses need to buy
• CA device for measuring the ambient air temperature of the kitchen and store rooms
• DRedundant in a kitchen where cooking times are followed carefully

Answer: A temperature probe (food thermometer) is essential equipment. It must be clean, calibrated regularly, and inserted into the thickest part of food.

What is the significance of the 63°C 'holding temperature' in food safety?

• AIt's arbitrary
• BBelow 63°C, bacteria can start to multiply; at 63°C or above, most cannot grow✓
• CIt is only a guideline figure and carries no weight at all during a hygiene inspection
• DIt has no importance

Answer: Holding food at 63°C or above stops most pathogens from growing. It does not reliably kill them, which is why food must be cooked thoroughly first. Below 63°C, surviving bacteria can multiply.

Hot-held food is found at 59°C, and nobody can say how long it has been below 63°C. What is the safest action?

• AWait for the temperature to rise naturally, then serve
• BServe the meal as is, as 59°C is close enough
• CHold it for up to 2 more hours, then serve
• DThrow it away, as you cannot show it is safe✓

Answer: If you cannot show how long food has been below 63°C, throw it away. By law hot food may be below 63°C for only one period of less than 2 hours, so unknown timing means you cannot rely on that. Where the time is known and under 2 hours, it can be served or reheated.

How frequently should fridge and freezer temperatures be checked and recorded?

• ADaily (ideally twice daily)✓
• BThey never need checking if the appliance is new
• COnce per week, at the weekly deep clean
• DOnce per year, when the appliance is serviced

Answer: Temperature checks should be recorded daily, preferably twice daily (morning and end of shift) to identify problems quickly and maintain compliance.

What core temperature and time is the standard for cooking pork safely?

• A70°C held for two minutes, or an equivalent such as 75°C for thirty seconds✓
• B70°C touched briefly, with no need to hold the temperature at all
• C63°C, matching the minimum temperature for holding food hot before service
• DA higher temperature than poultry, because pork carries more parasites

Answer: The rule is a time-and-temperature combination, not a single number: 70°C for two minutes, 75°C for thirty seconds and 80°C for six seconds all achieve the same reduction in bacteria. It is the same standard for pork as for chicken — the idea that poultry needs a hotter cook than other meat is a myth. What matters is the core, measured in the thickest part with a clean probe.

What is the safe internal temperature for beef steaks in the UK?

• A50°C for a rare steak only
• B75°C minimum
• CSteaks can be cooked rare if surface is seared✓
• D60°C for medium-rare

Answer: Whole beef steaks can be safely cooked rare if the surface is seared, as pathogens are mostly on the surface. Minced beef must reach 75°C throughout.

How does blast chilling help in food safety?

• AIt rapidly cools cooked food through the danger zone (63-8°C), reducing time for bacterial growth✓
• BIt's only for decoration
• CIt does not help with food safety in any way whatsoever in practice
• DIt freezes food permanently

Answer: Blast chilling rapidly cools hot food from 63°C to 8°C in minutes, minimising bacterial growth during the cooling process.

What is 'cook-chill' food and how must it be safely handled?

• APre-cooked food that's rapidly chilled, stored at 0-3°C, and reheated to 75°C before serving✓
• BRaw food that's chilled and served without being cooked
• CCooked food cooled slowly at room temperature before it is refrigerated
• DCooked food that's blast-frozen to -18°C and stored for up to a year

Answer: Cook-chill requires: rapid cooling to 0-3°C within 90 minutes, storage at 0-3°C for max. 3-5 days, and reheating to 75°C before serving.

What should a food business do if the freezer breaks down and food partially thaws?

• ARefreeze everything immediately without checking the temperature, since freezing again will kill any bacteria that have grown
• BUse the food as normal provided it still looks frozen on the outside, whatever the temperature inside the cabinet may have reached
• CAssess temperature loss and duration; if food remained at 0°C or below, refreeze may be safe; document and review food safety✓
• DDiscard every item in the freezer straight away without recording anything, even where the temperature never rose above freezing point

Answer: If temperature was maintained at 0°C or below and refrozen quickly, food may be safe. If temps rose significantly, food must be discarded.

What is the purpose of temperature-controlled transport for food?

• AIt is simply a tradition carried over from the days before refrigerated vehicles
• BTemperature control is unnecessary as long as the delivery vehicle is clean inside
• CTo save fuel by keeping the load at a steady weight during the delivery round
• DTo prevent bacterial growth and maintain food safety during delivery✓

Answer: Temperature-controlled transport (insulated containers or refrigerated vehicles) maintains food at safe temperatures during distribution.