SAFEPREP INSTRUCTOR
ServSafe
Refresher
Click anywhere to begin
TODAY’S CLASS
What We’re Covering
Time & Temperature · Category Sweep · Big Five Pathogens · Classic Traps · Rapid Fire
Every topic in this class has been on the exam. Nothing is filler.
TIME & TEMPERATURE
The Numbers
That Matter
Everything in this section has been on the ServSafe exam. Multiple times. In multiple forms.
ServSafe asks the same question 5 different ways. Know the number, recognize any version of the question.
TIME & TEMPERATURE
Temperature Danger Zone
Pathogens grow rapidly between these two temperatures. This range is the danger zone.
QUIZ
What is the temperature danger zone?
Call on someone. Wait for it.
Somebody’s sleeping at their desk.
ANSWER
41°F – 135°F / 5°C – 57°C
Oops. Wrong slide.
Cold holding: 41°F or below. Hot holding: 135°F or above.
TIME & TEMPERATURE
Cook Temperatures
Fruits, vegetables, grains
135°F 57°C
Whole beef, pork, fish, eggs to order
145°F 63°C
Ground meat, injected meats, eggs held
155°F 68°C
Poultry, stuffed items, reheated food
165°F 74°C
TIME & TEMPERATURE
The Egg Trap
Shell eggs cooked to order: 145°F / 63°C
Shell eggs held for service: 155°F / 68°C
ServSafe will ask about eggs. Know which scenario they’re describing before you answer.
QUIZ
Minimum internal cook temperature for chicken?
Call on someone.
I knew I should have taught this class.
ANSWER
165°F / 74°C
Highest temp on the list. Poultry always gets 165.
165°F also required for reheating food for hot holding.
TIME & TEMPERATURE
Cooling Requirements
Step 1: within 2 hours
135°→70°F 57°→21°C
Step 2: within 4 more hours
70°→41°F 21°→5°C
Total cooling window: 6 hours. Miss either step and the food is unsafe.
CATEGORY SWEEP
Quick Hits
You know this material. We’re just making sure it’s still in there.
RECEIVING & STORAGE
Walk-In Storage Order
Top → Bottom by cook temperature:
Ready-to-eat foods · Seafood · Whole beef & pork · Ground meat · Poultry
Highest cook temp goes on the bottom. Poultry always on the lowest shelf.
PERSONAL HYGIENE
Handwashing
Water temperature: at least 100°F / 38°C
Scrub time: 10–15 seconds
Location: designated handwashing sink only
ServSafe will ask this 5 different ways. The answer is always: wash your hands.
QUIZ
How long should you wash your hands?
Simple question. You’d be surprised.
I’m not angry. Just disappointed.
ANSWER
10–15 seconds
Not “a few seconds.” Not “until it feels clean.” Ten to fifteen.
BIG FIVE PATHOGENS
The Big Five
These five pathogens have their own rules. ServSafe tests them specifically. Know them cold.
BIG FIVE PATHOGENS
Know These Five
Hepatitis A · Norovirus · Shigella
Salmonella Typhi · E. coli O157:H7
Any employee diagnosed with one of these must be excluded — not restricted. Excluded.
BIG FIVE PATHOGENS
Exclude vs. Restrict
Exclude — out of the building:
Big Five diagnosis · Vomiting · Diarrhea · Jaundice
Restrict — can work, not around food:
Fever + sore throat (non high-risk establishment)
Nursing home, hospital, daycare = high-risk. Fever + sore throat there = EXCLUDE not restrict.
QUIZ
Employee has Norovirus. Exclude or Restrict?
At this point I’m basically teaching the class.
ANSWER
EXCLUDE
Norovirus is a Big Five. Always exclude. No exceptions.
CLASSIC TRAPS
ServSafe
Trap Language
These words on the exam almost always point to one specific answer.
CLASSIC TRAPS
“The BEST way to…”
When ServSafe asks for the BEST way — they want the most food-safe option, not the most convenient.
BEST way to prevent cross-contamination? Wash hands. BEST way to thaw food? Refrigerator. Always the safest method.
CLASSIC TRAPS
“Reputable Supplier”
Questions about where to purchase food, seafood, shellfish — the answer is almost always reputable supplier.
If the question is about sourcing, stop looking for a complex answer. Reputable supplier.
CLASSIC TRAPS
Same Answer, Five Faces
“When should an employee wash their hands?” → wash hands
“After bussing tables, before handling food?” → wash hands
“BEST way to prevent spreading pathogens?” → wash hands
“Cook moves from raw chicken to salad — first thing?” → wash hands
“Most likely cause of foodborne illness?” → not washing hands
RAPID FIRE
Let’s Go
Everyone participates. No passengers. First answer, first person I point to.
RAPID FIRE
What does the FDA do?
ANSWER
Writes the Food Code
They’re the ones making your life miserable. FDA writes the rules.
RAPID FIRE
FIFO — what does it mean?
ANSWER
First In, First Out
Oldest product gets used first. Simple. Ignored constantly.
RAPID FIRE
BEST way to thaw frozen food?
ANSWER
In the refrigerator
Not the counter. Not hot water. The refrigerator. Always.
ALMOST DONE
You Made It
Everything on this exam you have seen today. The numbers, the traps, the pathogens. You know this.
Walk in. Read every question twice. Trust the first answer that comes to you.
THAT’S A WRAP
Good luck on the exam.
You don’t need it. But I’ll say it anyway.
