Which procedure correctly uses an ice-water bath to cool a pot of soup?
a.Float ice cubes on top of the soup while the pot sits on the counter, adding more ice as each batch melts
b.Run cold tap water from the faucet over the outside of the covered pot set in the prep sink until the soup stops steaming
c.Set the pot in a larger container of ice and water that reaches the level of the soup, and stir the soup frequently
d.Stack sealed bags of ice around the covered pot in the walk-in and leave it with no stirring until the next morning's service
Explanation
An ice-water bath works by surrounding the pot with ice and water up to the food level and stirring often so heat transfers out of the entire batch. Cold tap water is far warmer than an ice slurry, and bagged ice against a covered pot left unstirred barely moves heat out of the center. Floating ice on soup left on the counter is not an ice-water bath at all; using ice as an ingredient is a separate approved method that has to be built into the recipe.
Law Reference: FDA Food Code §3-501.15Practice all 500 questions free — no signup required.
Own the complete ServSafe Food Protection Manager guide — PDF + EPUB, $19.99 →
Related questions on this topic
- A kitchen finishes a batch of beef chili at 3:00 p.m. and begins cooling it. By what time must the chili reach 70°F to stay within the first cooling stage?
- After hot food reaches 70°F during cooling, how much additional time is allowed to bring it down to 41°F, and what is the maximum total cooling time?
- A cook checks a stockpot of marinara sauce 2 hours into cooling and finds it is still at 90°F. What is the correct response?
- A cook must cool a deep hotel pan of refried beans. Why does the manager tell the cook to transfer the beans into several shallow pans first?
- What is an ice paddle and how is it used in cooling?
- Which practice will most likely cause a batch of hot rice to FAIL its cooling time limits?
Last reviewed: · editorial process
PrepPass team · Verified against ServSafe Food Protection Manager Exam · How we review