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Culinary Arts & Cooking vocabulary · Food Safety & Hygiene

Danger zone

Meaning in culinary arts & cooking, with examples

/ˈdeɪndʒər zoʊn/nounCore term

In culinary arts & cooking, danger zone means: The range of temperatures, roughly 5°C to 60°C (41°F to 140°F), in which harmful bacteria grow fastest. Exact limits differ slightly between countries.

In Turkish: tehlikeli sıcaklık aralığı, tehlike bölgesi

How it is used

A key idea in food safety training. Kitchens keep cold food cold and hot food hot, cool cooked food quickly with blast chillers and limit the time food spends in the danger zone. Inspectors check fridge and hot-holding temperatures.

Example sentences

  1. Don't leave the rice on the bench; it's been in the danger zone for too long.

  2. Use the blast chiller to get the stock through the danger zone quickly.

Common collocations

  • temperature danger zone
  • in the danger zone
  • out of the danger zone
  • time in the danger zone
  • core temperatureThe temperature at the centre or thickest part of a piece of food, measured with a probe thermometer to check that it is cooked, cooled or reheated safely.
  • blast chillerA refrigerator that cools hot cooked food very quickly with strong cold air, so it passes through the danger zone in a short, controlled time.
  • foodborne illnessAny illness caused by eating food or drink contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxins. In everyday English it is usually called food poisoning.
  • thawTo let frozen food become soft and unfrozen before cooking it. Defrost means the same and is just as common.

More terms: Food Safety & Hygiene

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