Keeping hot food hot and cold food cold is a mainstay in kitchen safety. Why is this important and what else do you need to know about temperature in your kitchen? Is your food thermometer registering the correct temperature? Should water temperature also be tested? Here’s everything you need to know.

Do we need to check our kitchen thermometers? 

All kitchens should have a thermometer to check internal temperatures of food. But if your thermometer is not calibrated, it could lead to foodborne illness due to undercooked food or improperly held cooked food.  

To calibrate a thermometer, do the following: 

• Fill a cup with ice water, stir after 3 minutes and set thermometer without touching edges. Thermometer should read 32.0F, if not adjust accordingly.  Test your thermometers weekly.

Does water temperature also need testing?

ServSafe recommends that water temperature at hand-washing locations should be 100 degrees or more. Use your newly calibrated thermometer to test the hot water in your kitchen hand-washing location.  

According to the CDC there is no evidence that COVID 19 can spread through food. However, it is still important to ensure that food is cooked and held at a safe temperature.  Food left in the “Danger Zone” (40 degrees – 140 degrees) can grow bacteria at dangerous rates and levels, exposing consumers to risk of illness.  Hungry for more? Check out:

• USDA’s Danger Zone Information.
• ServSafe’s Free COVID-19 Training here.
• Campus Cooks’ Prevention and Preparedness Guidebook for more reference materials for Fall Opening.