The Zink Field Kit · Nº 2
Per the FDA Food Code
Per the FDA Food Code
The temperatures that pass inspection.
Cooking, holding, cooling, reheating — laminate this and put it where the thermometers live. Per the FDA Food Code (2022 + 2024 supplement); your local authority's adopted code governs.
Cooking — minimum internal
Poultry · stuffed items · stuffing165°F
Ground meats · injected · tenderized155°F · 17s
Whole-muscle beef, pork, lamb · seafood · eggs to serve145°F · 15s
Roasts (beef, pork, ham)145°F · 3 min
Vegetables & grains held hot135°F
Holding
Hot holding, minimum135°F
Cold holding, maximum41°F
Cooling & reheating
Cooling, stage one135→70°F · 2 hr
Cooling, stage two70→41°F · +4 hr
Reheat for hot holding165°F · within 2 hr
Date marking, refrigerated RTE7 days at ≤41°F
School programs
Milk & share-table TCS items≤41°F, iced or refrigerated
The danger zone
41°F — 135°F is where the clock is always running.
Calibration, the 30-second version: crushed ice, top with water, stir. A probe reads 32°F within a minute — or it gets adjusted or retired. Weekly, and after every drop.
zinkfsg.com/resources/food-safety-temperatures/ — the interactive chartYour rep: · 800.492.7400