How Hot Must Food Be Kept On A Steam Table To Keep Food Safe. Bacteria can multiply at any temperature within the danger zone but temperatures between 70 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit provide the most hospitable environment for bacteria to thrive. Use a food thermometer to check.
The food keeps cooking at these temperatures. The food must then be kept above 140 DEG F to be considered safe to eat. Use a food thermometer to check.
Some foods such as chili for example do well in hot-holding.
Theyare designed only to hot hold foods. Equipment such as chafing dishes steam tables and heated cabinets designed to hold foods hot should at least keep food temperatures at 135 F 57 C or hotter. Agriculture helped food production to keep pace with worldwide population growth or actually enabled population growth. To meet food safety guidelines hot food in your steam table should always be held at 135 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
