What is a safe temperature for food?
The temperature range in which growth of most bacteria occurs is between 40 and 140F. Perishable foods (foods that will support bacteria growth) need to either be kept cold (refrigerated or frozen) or else ‘hot-held’ which means that the food is 140 degrees or hotter. The temperature range that supports growth of bacteria is sometimes called the danger zone. Back to top When I prepare a large pot of soup, what is the best procedure for safely cooling the soup? A good way is to put the kettle of soup into a sink full of ice water and cool the soup. After the soup has partially cooled, you can put the soup into serving-size containers and put it into the refrigerator. Do not put a large container of hot soup directly into the refrigerator it may take too long to cool. (Bacteria can grow in the soup while it is in the danger zone.) If you dont use an ice bath and want to put the soup directly into the refrigerator, use shallow containers. Dont cover the storage containers until the soup i
