ServSafe Food Handler Practice Test 1: Food Safety Basics

Questions, answers (marked ✓) and explanations are below. For the interactive version, enable JavaScript.

1. In a food-service operation, the temperature danger zone, the range where harmful bacteria multiply fastest, is:

   • 32°F to 120°F (0°C to 49°C)
   • 41°F to 135°F (5°C to 57°C)
   • 50°F to 140°F (10°C to 60°C)
   • 60°F to 165°F (16°C to 74°C)

   The FDA Food Code sets the danger zone for food service at 41°F-135°F (5°C-57°C). TCS food must be kept cold at 41°F or below, or hot at 135°F or above, never left in between.

2. When washing your hands, how long should you scrub your hands and arms with soap?

   • About 5 seconds
   • At least 10-15 seconds
   • At least 60 seconds
   • Until the water runs cold

   Vigorously scrub hands and arms for 10-15 seconds; the entire handwashing process should take about 20 seconds from wetting to drying.

3. What is the minimum internal cooking temperature for poultry, such as chicken or turkey?

   • 135°F (57°C)
   • 145°F (63°C)
   • 155°F (68°C)
   • 165°F (74°C)

   Poultry, whole or ground, must reach 165°F (74°C). It's the highest minimum cooking temperature of any food, which is also why raw poultry is stored on the lowest cooler shelf.

4. Where should raw chicken be stored in the walk-in cooler?

   • On the top shelf, above produce
   • On the middle shelf, next to ground beef
   • On the bottom shelf, below all other food
   • Anywhere, as long as it's wrapped

   Store food top-to-bottom in order of minimum cooking temperature. Poultry needs the highest cook temp (165°F), so it goes on the bottom, where its juices can't drip onto food that will be cooked less, or not at all.

5. Which of these is a TCS food (a food that needs time and temperature control for safety)?

   • Saltine crackers
   • Uncooked dry rice
   • Cut cantaloupe
   • An unopened bottle of ketchup

   Once melons are cut, the moist flesh supports rapid bacterial growth, so cut melons are TCS and must be held at 41°F or below. Dry and shelf-stable foods like crackers, dry rice and unopened ketchup are not TCS.

6. Which TWO of the following are safe ways to thaw frozen food?

   • On the prep counter overnight
   • In the cooler, at 41°F or below
   • Submerged under running drinkable water at 70°F or below
   • In a bowl of warm water

   Safe thawing methods: in the cooler, under cool running water, in the microwave (if cooked immediately after), or as part of cooking. Thawing on the counter or in warm water lets the outside of the food sit in the danger zone for hours.

7. A food handler has a small cut on their finger. Before continuing to prep food, they should:

   • Rinse the cut and keep working
   • Apply hand sanitizer to the cut
   • Cover the cut with a waterproof bandage and wear a single-use glove over it
   • Wrap a paper towel around the finger

   Wounds on hands must be covered with an impermeable cover (like a waterproof bandage or finger cot) AND a single-use glove. The double barrier keeps pathogens from the wound out of the food.

8. Cold TCS food, like sliced deli meat in a display cooler, must be held at or below what temperature?

   • 32°F (0°C)
   • 41°F (5°C)
   • 45°F (7°C)
   • 50°F (10°C)

   Cold holding for TCS food is 41°F (5°C) or below, the bottom edge of the danger zone. If a cooler is holding food warmer than that, it's a problem to fix immediately, not at the end of the shift.

9. Potato salad was made in-house on Monday and is stored at 41°F. By the end of which day must it be served or thrown out?

   • Wednesday (3 days)
   • Friday (5 days)
   • Sunday (7 days)
   • The following Monday (8 days)

   Ready-to-eat TCS food prepared on-site can be kept a maximum of 7 days at 41°F or below, and the day it's made counts as day 1. Monday + 6 more days = Sunday.

10. Which symptom means a food handler must be kept out of work rather than allowed to handle food?

    • A mild headache
    • Vomiting
    • Sore feet after a long shift
    • A small bruise on the arm

    Vomiting, diarrhea and jaundice require exclusion from the operation, pathogens like norovirus spread explosively through food from ill workers. Tell your manager and stay home until you're symptom-free per your local rules.