Sarah is making pasta salad for a school picnic. How should she cool the cooked pasta before using it in the salad?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sarah should cool the pasta for her pasta salad by placing it in an ice-water bath. Cooked food must cool from 135°F to below 70°F within the first 2 hours of cooling time. Pathogens grow faster in this temperature range. Food then has four hours to safely cool from 70°F to below 41°F. Hot pasta placed in the refrigerator may not cool fast enough to prevent the growth of pathogens.

Sarah Is Making Pasta Salad for a School Picnic