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An employee has cooled a pan of mashed potatoes from 135°F to 68°F in two hours. How much time does she have left to cool the mashed potatoes to 41°F?

A) 1 hour
B) 2 hours
C) 3 hours
D) 4 hours

1 Answer

2 votes

Final answer:

The employee has one hour left to cool the mashed potatoes to 41°F in order to adhere to food safety guidelines, which state that perishable foods should not be left at temperatures between 40°F and 140°F for more than two hours.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question revolves around the safe temperature cooling range for perishable foods, according to food safety guidelines. The employee has cooled mashed potatoes from 135°F to 68°F in two hours. The question is how much time the employee has left to cool the mashed potatoes to 41°F. Food safety rules state that perishable foods, like mashed potatoes, should not be left out at temperatures between 40°F and 140°F for more than two hours. Since it has already been two hours and the temperature of the mashed potatoes is now 68°F, the employee must cool the mashed potatoes to 41°F within the next hour to ensure they do not stay in the 'danger zone' for longer than the acceptable limit.

Therefore, the answer to the question is A) 1 hour. This is the time remaining for the employee to safely cool the mashed potatoes to 41°F and avoid potential foodborne illness from bacteria growth that can happen within the danger zone temperatures.

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