Time and Temperature Control
Controlling time and temperature is the heart of food protection in New York City. Because bacteria grow fastest in the danger zone, the certified supervisor must know the exact temperatures for cooking, cooling, reheating, and holding food, and must check them with an accurate thermometer.
The Temperature Danger Zone
The temperature danger zone in New York City is 41°F to 140°F, the range in which bacteria multiply most rapidly. Every hazardous food should spend as little time as possible in this zone. Cold food must be held at 41°F or below, and hot food must be held at 140°F or above. When food does pass through the zone during cooking or cooling, it should move quickly. As a general limit, hazardous food left in the danger zone for more than four hours total must be discarded, because bacteria may have multiplied to dangerous levels or formed heat-stable toxins. The certified supervisor should use time as a backup control only with written procedures, and should always treat temperature as the primary defense.
Cooking Temperatures
Cooking to the correct internal temperature destroys the bacteria that cause illness. In New York City, poultry, stuffed foods, and stuffing must reach 165°F. Ground meat such as hamburger, chopped meat, and ground pork must reach 158°F to be safe, because grinding spreads surface bacteria throughout the meat. Pork, whole cuts of beef and lamb roasts, fish, and shell eggs cooked for immediate service reach lower minimums, generally 140°F to 145°F. Always measure the internal temperature at the thickest part of the food with a clean, calibrated thermometer, and take at least two readings in different spots. Cooking to the wrong temperature is a common cause of illness, so the certified supervisor should verify readings rather than judge doneness by color alone.
Cooling and Reheating
Cooling is one of the most dangerous steps in the flow of food, because food sits in the danger zone as it cools. In New York City, cooked hazardous food must be cooled from 140°F down to 70°F within two hours, and then from 70°F down to 41°F within four more hours, for a total of six hours. If the food does not reach 70°F within the first two hours, it must be reheated and the cooling started again or discarded. Speed cooling by dividing food into shallow pans, using ice-water baths, adding ice as an ingredient, or using ice paddles. When reheating hazardous food for hot holding, bring it to 165°F within two hours, and reheat only once. Food reheated more slowly gives bacteria time to grow.
Holding, Thawing, and Thermometers
Once food is cooked, it must be held out of the danger zone until served. Hot hazardous food is held at 140°F or above and cold hazardous food at 41°F or below; check holding temperatures at least every two hours so problems are caught early. Never use holding equipment such as steam tables to reheat food, because they warm too slowly. Thaw frozen food safely by one of four methods: in the refrigerator at 41°F or below, under cold running water at 70°F or below, in a microwave if cooked immediately after, or as part of the cooking process. Thermometers must be cleaned, sanitized, and calibrated. Calibrate a bimetallic stem thermometer in ice water, where it should read 32°F, adjusting the nut until it is accurate.
Last updated: July 2026