Cold Food Storage Chart (2024)

FAQs

What is the cold food storage for Servsafe? ›

Storage temperatures keep pathogens in check, so store cold TCS foods at an internal temperature of 41°F or lower, and hot TCS foods at 135°F or higher. Store frozen foods frozen. Storage must be well ventilated with open shelving, and accurate to plus/minus 3 degrees Fahrenheit with a visible thermometer.

Also, when putting food away, don't crowd the refrigerator or freezer so tightly that air can't circulate. Keep your appliances at the proper temperatures. Keep the refrigerator temperature at or below 40° F (4° C).

Storing Cold Food Safety Tips

The items stored in your cooler or refrigerator should be produce, dairy products, ready-to-eat foods, meats, condiments, etc. Keep your cooler at 35 – 38 degrees to keep foods at 41 degrees or below. Be aware to not overstock your cooler, as it may prevent air flow.

From top to bottom, store food in this order: ready-to-eat food, seafood, whole cuts of beef and pork, ground meat and seafood, and whole and ground poultry.

Store raw food separately from cooked food

Always store raw food in sealed or covered containers at the bottom of the fridge. Keep raw foods below cooked foods, to avoid liquid such as meat juices dripping down and contaminating the cooked food.

Foods kept in cold holding must stay at or below 41°F at all times. Foods that fall into the “Danger Zone” must be thrown away. If the temperature of food falls into the “Danger Zone”, throw away the food. Germs grow quickly at these temperatures, making food unsafe to eat.

The best plan is to put leftovers in the refrigerator right after your meal. Food that is sitting out for a party or picnic should be chilled after two hours at typical room temperature. If it's above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) or more, food should not sit out for more than one hour.

An oft-repeated reason to avoid sticking an open can in the fridge is that chemicals from the metal can and packaging could seep into the food and contaminate it with Bisphenol-A (BPA). This synthetic compound has hormone-like properties, which can build up in humans and potentially affect metabolism and disease rates.

Food held between 5oC and 60oC for less than 2 hours can be used, sold or put back in the refrigerator to use later. Food held between 5oC and 60oC for 2-4 hours can still be used or sold, but can't be put back in the fridge. Food held between 5oC and 60oC for 4 hours or more must be thrown away.

What is the Danger Zone for ServSafe? ›

The temperature danger zone is between 41°F and 135°F. TCS food must pass through the temperature danger zone as quickly as possible. Keep hot food hot and cold food cold.

The "Danger Zone" (40 °F-140 °F)

This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." That's why the Meat and Poultry Hotline advises consumers to never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours. If the temperature is above 90 °F, food should not be left out more than 1 hour.

The recommended freezer temperature to keep food safe is at or below 0°F (-18°C), making higher temperatures less reliable for long-term freezer storage.

This will vary depending on types of food and produce stored in the fridge, the best setting for the fridge is 3 degrees. The freezer temperature is best kept between -16 to -20 degrees.

You can keep cold food without temperature control for up to six hours, if you follow additional temperature- tracking procedures. How do I track food by time?

Cold storage is the process of storing perishable food items at a low temperature to maintain food safety and improve food preservation. Foods that require cold storage include meat, cheese, fruits, vegetables, eggs, fish and dairy products such as ice cream.

A food cold chain refers to maintaining a consistent temperature throughout the supply chain, including production, storage, transportation, and distribution, to preserve the quality and safety of perishable food products.

Cold holding is storing food under refrigeration at 41°F or below. Refrigeration prevents food from becoming a hazard by slowing the growth of most pathogens. Pathogens are disease-causing organisms like Listeria monocytogenes, and their growth is significantly slowed but not stopped by refrigeration.