ServSafe flow of food: free temperature and time practice drill
The flow of food is the largest part of a ServSafe-style exam and the one with the most numbers: receiving and storage, thawing, cooking temperatures, two-stage cooling, reheating, hot and cold holding, date marking and time as a public health control. The free drill below is 12 original questions, many with the numbers changed, and every answer explained.
- 41–135°F
- temperature danger zone
- 2 + 4 h
- two-stage cooling
- 7 days
- date-marking limit
- 12
- questions in the free drill
Last checked · Rules from the FDA Food Code 2022
Free flow of food drill: 12 original ServSafe-style questions at the real exam's pace, then every answer explained. No sign-up.
12
questions
16 min
time limit
Free
every answer explained
By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated · How we check facts · How this is scored
What is the flow of food on the ServSafe exam?
The path food takes through an operation, from purchasing and receiving through storage, prep, cooking, cooling, reheating, holding and service. At every step the exam asks what keeps food out of the temperature danger zone and away from contamination.
| Step | What the questions ask |
|---|---|
| Purchasing and receiving | Approved suppliers, delivery temperatures, what to reject, shellstock tags |
| Storage | Labeling, date marking, first in first out, shelf order in a cooler, 6 inches off the floor |
| Thawing and prep | The four safe ways to thaw, prepping in small batches, produce, eggs and ice |
| Cooking | Minimum internal temperatures and holding times for each food |
| Cooling and reheating | The two-stage cooling rule, cooling methods, reheating for hot holding |
| Holding and service | Hot and cold holding, time as a public health control, self-service, re-serving |
What are the ServSafe minimum cooking temperatures?
165°F for poultry and stuffed food, 155°F for ground and mechanically tenderized meat, 145°F for seafood and whole cuts, 145°F for 4 minutes for roasts, and 135°F for plant food cooked for hot holding.
| Food | Minimum | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Poultry (whole or ground chicken, turkey, duck); stuffing and stuffed meat, fish, pasta or poultry | 165°F for less than 1 second | Food Code 3-401.11 |
| Raw animal food cooked in a microwave | 165°F, then covered and left to stand 2 minutes | Food Code 3-401.12 |
| Ground, injected or mechanically tenderized meat; raw shell eggs cooked for hot holding | 155°F for 17 seconds | Food Code 3-401.11 |
| Seafood; steaks and chops of beef, pork, veal and lamb; raw shell eggs cooked to order | 145°F for 15 seconds | Food Code 3-401.11 |
| Whole roasts of beef, pork, veal and lamb | 145°F for 4 minutes | Food Code 3-401.11 |
| Fruit, vegetables, grains and legumes cooked for hot holding | 135°F | Food Code 3-401.13 |
Measure in the thickest part with a calibrated thermometer, and hold the temperature for the time listed. The order of the cooking temperatures is also the order of the shelves in a cooler: the higher the temperature a raw food needs, the lower it goes, so poultry sits on the bottom.
ServSafe Manager-style question 1 · Cooking temperatures
Which of these needs the highest minimum internal cooking temperature?
- AA salmon fillet
- BA ground beef patty
- CA pork chop stuffed with bread stuffing
- DA whole-muscle beef steak
Worked answer
C: A pork chop stuffed with bread stuffing. Stuffed meat (and stuffing) must reach 165°F for less than 1 second. Ground beef is 155°F for 17 seconds; salmon and whole-muscle steak are 145°F for 15 seconds.
- Salmon and steak: 145°F.
- Ground beef: 155°F.
- Stuffed pork chop: 165°F, the highest.
The trap: Thinking pork always needs the highest temperature. A plain pork chop is 145°F; it is the stuffing that raises it to 165°F.
What is the two-stage cooling rule?
Cooked TCS food must cool from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, and then to 41°F or lower within a total of 6 hours. If the first stage is missed, reheat the food to 165°F and start again, or throw it out.
The first stage is shorter because bacteria grow fastest between 125°F and 70°F. Ways to cool faster: divide food into shallow pans, use an ice-water bath, stir with an ice paddle, add ice as an ingredient, or use a blast chiller. Never put a large stockpot straight into a cooler.
Food cooked, cooled and reheated for hot holding must reach 165°F for 15 seconds within 2 hours. Food reheated for immediate service can be served at any temperature.
ServSafe Manager-style question 1 · Cooling
Chili reaches 135°F at 2:00 p.m. and is put in an ice bath. At 4:00 p.m. it is at 80°F. What should happen?
- AKeep cooling; it has until 8:00 p.m. to reach 41°F
- BReheat it to 165°F for 15 seconds and start cooling again, or throw it out
- CPut it in the walk-in cooler and check it again at 6:00 p.m.
- DServe it right away
Worked answer
B: Reheat it to 165°F for 15 seconds and start cooling again, or throw it out. The first stage of cooling is 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours. By 4:00 p.m. the chili should be at 70°F or lower; at 80°F it has missed the limit, so it must be reheated to 165°F for 15 seconds and cooled again, or thrown out.
- Start: 135°F at 2:00 p.m.
- First stage: 70°F by 4:00 p.m. (2 hours).
- At 4:00 p.m. it is 80°F, above 70°F: the stage failed. Reheat and re-cool, or discard.
The trap: Counting only the 6-hour total. Each stage has its own limit, and missing the first one cannot be made up later.
More temperature questions, new numbers each time
Eight full mocks and four flow of food drills, with the times and temperatures changed in every one.
The ServSafe Manager Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 20 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.
Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The ServSafe Manager Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.
- 8
- timed mocks
- 20
- topic drills
- 1
- score predictor
What are the holding temperatures and time limits?
Hold hot TCS food at 135°F or higher and cold TCS food at 41°F or lower. Ready-to-eat TCS food kept more than 24 hours is date marked and used within 7 days, counting the day it was made as day 1.
| Rule | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature danger zone | 41°F to 135°F | Food Code 3-501.16 |
| Hot holding / cold holding | 135°F or higher / 41°F or lower | Food Code 3-501.16 |
| Reheating for hot holding | 165°F for 15 seconds, within 2 hours | Food Code 3-403.11 |
| Receiving cold TCS food | 41°F or lower; shell eggs at an air temperature of 45°F or lower; live shellfish at 45°F air and 50°F internal | Food Code 3-202.11 |
| Receiving hot TCS food | 135°F or higher | Food Code 3-202.11 |
| Date marking ready-to-eat TCS food | Up to 7 days at 41°F or lower; the day it was made is day 1 | Food Code 3-501.17 |
| Time as a public health control | Hot or cold: 4 hours. Cold food that starts at 41°F or lower and never goes above 70°F: up to 6 hours | Food Code 3-501.19 |
| Thawing under running water | Water at 70°F or lower | Food Code 3-501.13 |
Time as a public health control lets food be held without temperature control for a fixed time, with written procedures: up to 4 hours for hot or cold food, or up to 6 hours for cold food that starts at 41°F or lower and never goes above 70°F. Label it with the time it must be thrown out, and throw it out then.
ServSafe Manager-style question 1 · Date marking
Egg salad is made on March 3 and stored at 41°F. Counting the day it was made as day 1, what is the last day it may be served?
- AMarch 9
- BMarch 10
- CMarch 6
- DMarch 17
Worked answer
A: March 9. Ready-to-eat TCS food held at 41°F or lower may be kept for up to 7 days, with the day it was made as day 1. Day 1 is March 3, so day 7 is March 9.
- Day 1: March 3.
- Add 6 days to reach day 7.
- March 3 + 6 = March 9.
The trap: Adding 7 days (March 10). The day of preparation already counts as day 1.
ServSafe Manager-style question 2 · Time as a control
A tray of sliced tomatoes leaves the cooler at 41°F at 11:00 a.m. and is held using time as a public health control. It is monitored and never goes above 70°F. Under the Food Code, by what time must it be served or thrown out?
- A3:00 p.m.
- B5:00 p.m.
- C1:00 p.m.
- D7:00 p.m.
Show the worked answer
B: 5:00 p.m.. Cold food that starts at 41°F or lower and never goes above 70°F may be held without temperature control for up to 6 hours. 11:00 a.m. plus 6 hours is 5:00 p.m.
- Starts at 41°F or lower: yes.
- Never above 70°F: yes, so the 6-hour option applies.
- 11:00 a.m. + 6 hours = 5:00 p.m.
The trap: Using 4 hours. That is the limit for hot food, and for cold food that is not kept at 70°F or lower.
What should be rejected at receiving?
Cold TCS food above 41°F (shell eggs above 45°F air temperature), hot food below 135°F, frozen food with signs of thawing and refreezing, swollen or leaking cans, damaged packaging, pest damage, and food from a source that is not approved.
- Check the temperature of each TCS delivery with a calibrated thermometer, in the right place: between packages of meat, not through the bag; the internal temperature of hot food.
- Reject frozen food with large ice crystals, frozen liquids or water stains: signs it thawed and was refrozen.
- Keep shellstock identification tags for 90 days from the day the last shellfish in the container was sold or served.
- Store raw food below ready-to-eat food, and raw animal food by cooking temperature: seafood, whole cuts of beef and pork, ground meat, then poultry at the bottom.
- Store food at least 6 inches off the floor, and rotate it first in, first out.
What are the safe ways to thaw food?
Four ways: in a cooler at 41°F or lower, submerged under running potable water at 70°F or lower, in a microwave if it is cooked right after, or as part of the cooking process.
Never thaw TCS food on the counter. When prepping, take out only as much food as you can prep in a short time, and keep prep areas separate or cleaned and sanitized between raw and ready-to-eat food. Wash produce under running water before cutting it, and do not let it touch raw meat.
Practise the whole area in the free drill above, then take the full ServSafe practice test. More worked questions are on ServSafe sample questions.
Frequently asked questions
What is the temperature danger zone?
How do you remember the cooking temperatures?
What happens if food is not cooled to 70°F in 2 hours?
How long can ready-to-eat food be kept?
Is this based on my state's food code?
Get the temperatures automatic
Eight full ServSafe-style mocks and four drills per area, every answer explained from the Food Code, for one payment.
The ServSafe Manager Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 20 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.
Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The ServSafe Manager Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.
- 8
- timed mocks
- 20
- topic drills
- 1
- score predictor