1. Safe Purchasing, Storage, Preparation, and Service for a Crowd
Chapter 4
Safe Purchasing, Storage,
Preparation,
and Service for a Crowd

2. Purchasing Keep food out of the temperature danger
zone, consider using an ice chest to
transport in warm weather
Prevent cross-contamination
Refrigerate foods immediately

3. Thermometers
Types
Calibration
Use

4. Storage Practice First In, First Out
Store only food in food storage areas
Always store raw potentially hazardous
foods below ready-to-eat foods
Keep dry foods dry
Set refrigerator at 38F or lower
Set freezer at 0F

5. Preparation Slicing and cutting—
Clean & sanitize equipment between uses
Minimize time in the TDZ
Minimize cross-contamination

6. Preparation Thawing— Thaw food in the refrigerator at 40F or less
Submerge the product in running potable water
at a temperature of 70F or below
Thaw in a microwave oven, only if the food
will be cooked immediately afterward
Thaw food as a part of the cooking process

7. Preparation Marinating— poultry, and seafood in the refrigerator
Marinate meat,
poultry, and seafood
in the refrigerator
Do not use marinade that was previously
used to marinate raw meat and poultry to
baste foods or as a serving sauce

8. Preparation Cold Salad Preparation— preparation
Chill all ingredients before beginning
preparation
Prepare salads in small batches, then
refrigerate

9. Cooking internal temperatures Use a calibrated
Cook foods to proper
internal temperatures
Use a calibrated
food-grade thermometer to assure
that the food has reached proper

10. Examples of Minimal Internal Cooking Temperatures
FOOD
TEMP, °F
Eggs
Cook until yolk & white are firm
Egg dishes
160
Ground Meat & Mixtures
Ground Turkey, Chicken
165
Ground Veal, Beef, Lamb, Pork
Fresh Beef
Rare
145
Medium
Well Done
170
Fresh Pork

11. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold
Holding
Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold
Hold hot food at 140°F or higher
Hold cold food at 40°F or lower

12. Holding Hot holding— Consider cooling foods and then reheating when
needed
Monitor temperatures with a calibrated thermometer
Use holding equipment such as slow cookers,
steam tables, and hot holding carts only for holding
food and not for cooking or reheating
Cover foods and regularly stir to maintain a safe
temperature

13. Holding Cold holding— Foods should be chilled prior to placing in
cold holding equipment such as ice trays
or refrigerated displays

14. place large quantities of hot food in the refrigerator or freezer
Cooling
NEVER
place large quantities of hot food in
the refrigerator or freezer

15. Reheating Reheat to 165F within two hours
Use a calibrated thermometer to check
the final temperature
Only reheat foods once
Do not use hot holding equipment to
reheat food

16. Service Wash hands before serving food
Avoid cross-contamination by assigning
specific duties to each volunteer
Avoid touching surfaces that
will come into contact with food
Use gloves appropriately

17. Cleaning & Sanitizing CLEAN = SANITARY = Free of visible soil
Free from harmful levels of foodborne pathogens

18. Cleaning & Sanitizing In a three-compartment sink—
Step 1: Clean and sanitize sink
Step 2: Scrape, rinse, or soak utensils
Step 3: Wash
Step 4: Rinse
Step 5: Sanitize
Step 6: Air dry

19. Cleaning & Sanitizing With a commercial dishwasher—
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions

20. Equipment & Facilities
Trash Tips—
Provide enough containers to hold the
amount of trash expected
Empty often
Clean and sanitize regularly
Keep it from leaking
©2006 Department of Food Science - College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State University
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