The Temperature Danger Zone
What is the Temperature Danger Zone?
It is called a temperature “danger zone” for good reason. Harmful bacteria multiplies and grows at an extremely rapid rate between 40°F – 140°F (4.5°C – 60°C). So much so, that restaurant food safety managers and government regulators have put measures in place to make sure foods for public consumption stay well outside of “danger zone” temperature ranges (known in the restaurant industry as “hot holding” and “cold holding temperatures”). Food processors also monitor what is called the “cook-chill process,” which is designed to move freshly cooked foods through the danger zone and down to safe cold holding temperatures in a timely and reliable manner and to reheat precooked foods in an equally safe way.
Industry standards dictate how much time food can spend in the TDZ, and how quickly foods must move through it. No foods are to be kept within the TDZ for more than 6 hours. Food must be cooled to 70°F (21°C) within 2 hours and then has 4 more hours to get down to 40°F (4.5°C). When warming foods from cold, the same rules apply in reverse, 4 hours to get to 70°F (21°C), then 2 hours to get up to hot holding. 
Temperature Tip: The Temperature Danger Zone is 40°F – 140°F
Restaurants often have cold holding tables where you’ll find ingredients such as sour cream, cheese, veggies, and more, in containers with ice below them to keep the foods below the danger zone. For freshly cooked ingredients, hot holding tables have heating elements to keep the food above temperature the danger zone. It is easy to see why knowing the temperature danger zone is so critical for restaurant operations. Can you imagine how many people would get sick if they exposed to foods that were left out for significant periods of time without monitoring their temperatures?
So, why is the temperature danger zone necessary for the home chef to know? The danger zone still applies to food cooked at home, as well! Knowing the temperature of your fridge, or tracking how long your leftovers have been sitting out on the counter can help you avoid the danger zone and keep your family and guests safe. Below is a Food Safety Temperature Chart of critical temperatures to help you avoid the Temperature Danger Zone in your own food preparation.
Food Safety Temperature Chart
| Temperature Danger Zone | 40°F – 140°F (4.5°C – 60°C) |
| Holding Hot Foods | 140°F (60°C) or higher |
| Holding Cold Foods | less than 41°F (5°C) |
| Fridge Temperature | 40°F (4.5°C) or colder |
| Freezer Temperature | 0°F (-18°C) to -10°F (-23°C) |
For chef-recommended temperatures as well as critical food-safe temperatures for meats and other foods, see the many ThermoWorks-approved temperatures in our Chef-Recommended, ThermoWorks-Approved post.
Food Safety Thermometers
 Food Thermometer |
 Thermometers |
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In regards to the food safety zone what happens when doing a low and slow cook and the meat is sitting there for hours before hits 140 why is it safe or even applying it to a crockpot for eight hours
Gery,
This is an excellent question with a complex and nuanced answer that I hope I can convey properly.
To begin, there is a fact we must face about food safety. Most of our food safety protocols are in place to protect the weakest among us: The young, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. While you or I might be able to ingest some bacteria without harmful effect, these people might come to serious harm, or even death, if they encounter bacteria in a sufficient quantity. So we build thick, heavy walls of food safety to protect those whose systems can’t protect them. Of course, a healthy person can contract a foodborne illness, but that usually means there has been a rather egregious flaunting of food safety rules at some point. So, with that as a base, let’s look a little more at the answers to your questions.
First, animal muscles are supposed to be sterile inside the flesh. Bacteria that are endemic to mammals (E. coli) and birds (Salmonella) live in the digestive tracts of the animals and end up (because animals aren’t known for hygiene) on their skins. The process of slaughter spreads those bacteria into the body cavity where they begin to multiply. If a muscle, like a chicken breast or a brisket, is sound and there are no seams into which the bacteria can creep then the muscle underneath the surface should be sanitary. If, however, you’ve pierced the surface with a knife or a probe, there is a chance that you’ve introduced bacteria into the mix where there was none. Can we ever be 100% certain that the interior muscle is sterile? No. And because we can’t be sure of that we have to treat the muscle as if it were carrying bacteria. But in reality, it probably is. That’s why people don’t get sick every time they eat a medium-rare steak. The interior of meats is generally safe.
So, to answer your question, if the surface passes a food safety temperature in an acceptable time, then there is a very good chance that the interior will be safe to eat as well. In the case of low-slow cooking, we’re mostly going for collagen breakdown, not just “doneness.” NA in a slow cooker, there is heat above 140° in the ambient air and the liquid before the center of the roast reaches 140°F.
I hope this helps. Feel free to respond for clarifications as I’m happy to go on about this topic.
Happy cooking!
Great answer. I had a smoke where the ambient temperature dropped for about an hour. Luckily the ambient temp stayed above 140F until I got it back up again. Felt pretty safe about my meat. No piercings or cuts.