Food Manager Prep / Food safety temperature chart (FDA Food Code)
Food safety temperature chart (FDA Food Code)
Updated October 2026 · Based on the FDA Food Code 2022 (the edition the exams follow) and the new 2026 edition
Every temperature and time a food protection manager exam can ask about, in one chart, with the FDA Food Code section behind each number. The 2026 Food Code changed none of these cooking, holding or cooling numbers, so they are safe whichever edition your exam follows.
Cooking temperatures
| Poultry, wild game, stuffed fish, meat, pasta or poultry, stuffing containing fish, meat or poultry | 165F (74C) for less than 1 second (3-401.11(A)(3)) |
|---|---|
| Ground or comminuted meat, injected meat, non-intact meat, ratites, comminuted fish | 155F (68C) for 17 seconds, or 145F for 3 min, 150F for 1 min, 158F for less than 1 s (3-401.11(A)(2)) |
| Eggs not for immediate service (e.g. held on a buffet) | 155F for 17 seconds (3-401.11(A)(2)) |
| Eggs broken and cooked for immediate service | 145F (63C) for 15 seconds (3-401.11(A)(1)(a)) |
| Fish, whole-muscle (intact) meat, commercially raised game | 145F for 15 seconds (3-401.11(A)(1)(b)) |
| Whole roasts (beef, corned beef, lamb, pork, ham) | Time/temperature chart, e.g. 130F for 112 min, 145F for 4 min, 158F for 0 s (3-401.11(B)) |
| Raw animal food cooked in a microwave | 165F in all parts, rotate or stir, cover, stand covered 2 minutes (3-401.12) |
| Fruits and vegetables cooked for hot holding | 135F (3-401.13) |
Holding, cooling and reheating
| Hot holding | 135F (57C) or above; whole roasts may be held at 130F (3-501.16(A)(1)) |
|---|---|
| Cold holding | 41F (5C) or less (3-501.16(A)(2)) |
| Cooling cooked food | 135F to 70F in 2 hours, and to 41F within 6 hours total (3-501.14(A)) |
| Cooling food made from room-temperature ingredients | To 41F within 4 hours (3-501.14(B)) |
| Reheating for hot holding | 165F for 15 seconds within 2 hours (3-403.11) |
| Reheating in a microwave for hot holding | 165F, rotate, cover, stand 2 minutes (3-403.11) |
| Reheating commercially processed ready-to-eat food | 135F (3-403.11) |
| Reheating for immediate service to one order | Any temperature (3-403.10) |
Receiving, thawing and freezing
| Refrigerated TCS food at delivery | 41F or below (3-202.11(A)) |
|---|---|
| Hot TCS food at delivery | 135F or above (3-202.11(D)) |
| Raw shell eggs at delivery and in storage | Ambient air 45F or less (3-202.11(C), 3-501.16(B)) |
| Milk and live shellfish at delivery | Temperature set by other laws (the PMO and NSSP; commonly taught as 45F), then cool to 41F within 4 hours (3-202.11(B), 3-501.14(C)). The 45F figures come from secondary sources. |
| Frozen food at delivery | Received frozen (3-202.11(E)) |
| Thawing under running water | Water at 70F (21C) or below (3-501.13) |
| Parasite destruction for fish served raw | -4F for 7 days (168 h), or -31F until solid then 15 h at -31F, or until solid then 24 h at -4F (3-402.11) |
Time limits
| Date marking ready-to-eat TCS food | Held over 24 hours: use within 7 days at 41F or less, day of preparation is Day 1 (3-501.17) |
|---|---|
| Time as a public health control | 4 hours (no temperature cap), or 6 hours starting at 41F and never above 70F (3-501.19) |
| Non-continuous cooking | Initial heating no longer than 60 minutes, then cool (3-401.14) |
Ground beef internal temperature
Grinding spreads surface bacteria through the whole piece, so ground beef needs more than a steak. Cook it to 155F for 17 seconds. The Food Code accepts equivalent time and temperature pairs: 145F for 3 minutes, 150F for 1 minute, or 158F for less than a second. The same rule covers other ground meats, injected meats (such as brined or marinade-injected cuts) and ground fish. A child's menu may not offer undercooked ground meat, even on request.
Poultry internal temperature
Chicken, turkey, duck and other poultry: 165F, instantaneous. The exam often hides poultry inside another dish. Stuffed pasta, stuffed pork chops, stuffed fish, and any stuffing that contains meat, fish or poultry all take 165F, because stuffing insulates the center.
Steaks, roasts, fish and eggs
Intact steaks and fish: 145F for 15 seconds. A rare intact beef steak can be served if the top and bottom surfaces reach 145F with a color change on all outside surfaces, and the customer is not part of a highly susceptible population. Whole roasts follow their own chart (145F for 4 minutes, or 130F for 112 minutes). Eggs cooked to order: 145F for 15 seconds; eggs held for service: 155F for 17 seconds.
Hot holding temperature
Hold hot TCS food at 135F or above. Check it with a calibrated thermometer, not the unit's dial.
Cold holding temperature
Hold cold TCS food at 41F or less. The exception is shell eggs, which may be stored in refrigeration with ambient air at 45F or less. Above 41F, food is in the danger zone.
Reheating food temperature
Three cases, and exams love to mix them up:
- Cooked and cooled on site, reheated for hot holding: 165F for 15 seconds, within 2 hours.
- Commercially processed ready-to-eat food (from a sealed package), reheated for hot holding: 135F.
- Reheated for one customer's immediate order (for example roast beef au jus): any temperature.
Want the numbers as flashcards and a mock exam? See the study guide PDF, or start with the free practice test.