Food safety means stopping food from making people ill. The main risk is bacteria, which multiply fastest in the danger zone of roughly 5–63 °C. Controlling time and temperature, and checking with a probe thermometer, keeps food safe.
Why it matters
Food poisoning can seriously harm guests, especially young children, older people and pregnant women, and it can close a business.
Key ideas
Four types of hazard
Food can be contaminated by bacteria, chemicals, physical objects such as hair or glass, and allergens.
Key temperatures
Common guidance is to keep chilled food at or below 5 °C and frozen food at −18 °C or colder, and to cook to a core temperature of 75 °C or a locally allowed equivalent. Local rules vary, so follow your kitchen's policy.
Cooling and thawing
Cool hot food within about 90 minutes to 2 hours before chilling it. Thaw food in the fridge, and never refreeze thawed food unless you cook it first.
Step by step
- 1
Sanitise the probe.
- 2
Insert it into the thickest part, away from bone and the pan.
- 3
Wait for the reading to settle.
- 4
Keep cooking if it is below target, then check again.
- 5
Record the result and sanitise the probe again.
Do
- Probe meat, poultry and reheated dishes every time.
- Cool food in shallow trays or over iced water.
- Reheat food only once, until piping hot throughout.
Common mistakes
- Don't judge doneness by colour or cooking time alone.
- Don't leave food cooling on the side for hours.
- Don't thaw meat at room temperature.
The situation
Chicken thighs look golden after the recipe time, and the chef is busy.
What a professional does
You probe the thickest thigh and it reads 68 °C, so the tray goes back in. You release it only when it reaches 75 °C or your kitchen's approved temperature.
Useful phrases
“Chef, the chicken's only at 68, so it's going back in.”
“What core temperature do we cook this to?”
Pro tip
Always probe the largest piece, because it cooks through last.
Quick check
What is the danger zone?
Think about it, then show the answer
Roughly 5–63 °C, the range where bacteria multiply quickly.