Major causes of food-borne illness are due to improper cooking temperatures of foods such as ground meats, fish, and poultry. Also, if food has been pre-cooked, it is important to reheat it to a high enough temperature. Refrigerated food should not be allowed to get into the danger zone from 41°F (5°C) to 140°F (60°C) where bacterial growth occurs. Use the FlashCheck Folding Probe Thermometer to check foods on a grill while keeping your hand away from the heat. Try the Heat/Cool Cooking Thermometer to view desired internal cooking temperature without ever opening the oven door. It removes all the guesswork because an alarm beeps when the pre-set temperature has been reached. The Heat/Cool Cooking Thermometer will also track the cooling rate of foods to ensure proper cool down temperatures. Food must be cooled quickly from 140 to 41°F (60 to 5°C) within 6 hours. Within 2 hours food should be cooled to 70°F (21°C) and within 4 hours it should be 41°F (5°C) for a total of 6 hours. Final cooking or cooling temperatures should never be guessed by looking or touching. Verify core temperature of foods on grills and stovetops within seconds with our FlashCheck Digital Pocket Probe Thermometer.

Check the buffet or holding areas where food might be held for an extensive amount of time. Problems can occur when the food is between 41°F (5°C) and 140°F (60°C) for more than four hours. Hot foods should be held at 140°F (60°C) while cold foods need to be held below 41°F (5°C). Never rely on the thermostats of holding equipment or coolers; always double check food temperature with a thermometer. Food in displays or other holding areas should be checked every couple of hours. Use the non-contact ThermoTrace Infrared Thermometer to quickly spot check foods at salad bars or hot buffets.

Finally, it is also very important to check to see that your cookware and dishes have been properly sanitized. The final rinse temperature in the dishwasher should be 170°F (76°C). The FlashCheck Folding Probe Thermometer can be put through commercial dishwashers, giving you an accurate hot water temperature reading by using the min/max feature, guaranteeing that your cookware and dishes have been sanitized.

         41 to 140°F (5 to 60°C)