The "Danger Zone"

Today I will be talking about a concept, that I learned when I took Foods-Safe last year. The concept is called the “Danger Zone”, and it is a specific temperature range where food has the most penitential to grow harmful bacteria. 

The “Danger Zone”, is between 40F-140F, and food should never stay within this temperature zone for more than two hours, or else it becomes unsafe to eat.This is because bacteria is able to multiply and grow very easily. Any temperature outside the “Danger Zone” is not diserable for bacteria to grow. Anything below 40F is too cold for bacteria to grow, and anything above 140F is too hot for bacteria to grow.  


So, if you  keep food out of the “Danger Zone”, you will be doing well. But the important thing to know, is HOW to do this. One of the biggest causes of foodborne illness is the improper cooling of cooked food. Many people improperly cool their food, and then get sick from it. The thing is though, properly cooling food is easy. It just takes a little more time. I think that Spending a little extra time cooling your food, is worth it because it will keep you from getting sick.

So, here are some ways that you can properly and quickly cool your already cooked food.

• Store your food in multiple shallow Tupperware containers. This will allow your food to evenly and quickly cool.
• do not over pack Tupperware containers. Make sure you only have one layer of food in each container.
• Place sealed containers of food in ice baths, or cold water to quickly cool.
• If you have a big pot of soup or stew use an ice wand (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_an_Ice_Wand_when_used_for_Food_Cooling)