Concept · under Time and temperature
TCS foods: which ones need the clock
TCS food is food that needs time/temperature control for safety: food where bacteria can grow fast enough to make someone sick if it sits in the danger zone. Raw and cooked animal foods are the obvious ones. Cooked plant foods, raw sprouts, and melons, tomatoes and leafy greens once they're cut are the ones that trip people up on the test.
- ExamPFH
- Questions here6
- UpdatedOct 14, 2026
On this page 5 sections
TCS or not: a walk through the kitchen
| Food | TCS? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Raw chicken thighs, ground pork, shrimp | Yes | Raw animal food |
| Milk, shell eggs, sour cream | Yes | Animal food |
| Baked potatoes, refried beans, cooked pasta | Yes | Plant food that has been cooked |
| Alfalfa and bean sprouts | Yes | Raw seed sprouts are on the list uncooked |
| Melon, tomatoes or leafy greens after cutting | Yes | The definition names them once cut |
| Dry beans, flour, honey, peanut butter | No | Too dry for bacteria to grow |
| A whole cantaloupe still in its rind | No | Uncut; it becomes TCS once sliced |
A recipe change can move a food across the line; acid and dryness are what keep the “No” foods out.
When a clock replaces the thermometer
A kitchen can take TCS food out of temperature control on purpose and let time do the job. The FDA Food Code 2022 calls it time as a public health control (3-501.19). The rules are tight: written procedures kept on site, food that starts at 41°F or below or at 135°F or above (freshly cut produce and just-opened sealed ready-to-eat food may start at 70°F or below, 3-501.19(B)(2)), a mark showing the time 4 hours out, and at that mark it's cooked, served or thrown away. It doesn't go back in the cooler to buy more time.
Say your breakfast buffet's pan of scrambled eggs leaves the hot line at 8:15 marked 12:15. At 12:15, whatever is left goes in the trash, warm or not.
Cold food gets one stretch. If it starts at 41°F or below and never climbs past 70°F, the limit can run 6 hours instead, with the same marking and the same discard.
Without that written plan, TCS food holds at the two numbers on hot and cold holding, and the gap between them is the temperature danger zone. Ready-to-eat TCS food made in house and kept past 24 hours also needs a date mark: FIFO and date marking.
Needs the clock or not?
Some questions ask which food needs control. Others ask what the clock allows.
Each question is a chit, an order ticket. Answer it and it flips to show why every option is right or wrong.
No. 01
Which of the following is considered a TCS (Time/Temperature Control for Safety) food?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 01
- A
Bread Bread is dry enough that bacteria can't grow well at room temperature, so it isn't TCS.
- B
Crackers Crackers are too dry to support bacterial growth and can be stored at room temperature.
- C
Dry pasta Dry pasta becomes TCS only after it's cooked; uncooked, it's shelf-stable.
- D
Cooked rice Correct: Cooked rice is a heat-treated plant food with plenty of moisture, so it needs time or temperature control.
- A
No. 02
What is the proper procedure for storing cut melons?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 02
- A
Hold at 50°F in the display case 50°F is inside the danger zone; cut melon is TCS food and must be held at 41°F or below.
- B
Chill to 41°F or below within 4 hours Correct: Cut melon is TCS food, so it's covered and chilled to 41°F or below within 4 hours, the limit for food prepared from room-temperature ingredients.
- C
Keep uncovered so they stay crisp Uncovered cut fruit can collect drips, dust, and debris; keep it covered in the cooler.
- D
Display at room temperature all day Once cut, melon supports bacteria like Salmonella, so a full day at room temperature isn't safe.
- A
No. 03
What is the maximum time TCS food can be displayed without temperature control?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 03
- A
4 hours Correct: Under time as a public health control, TCS food can go up to 4 hours without temperature control, then it must be thrown out.
- B
2 hours Two hours is the first stage of cooling, not the limit for holding food without temperature control.
- C
12 hours Twelve hours is far past the limit; TCS food held without temperature control is tossed after 4 hours.
- D
8 hours Eight hours is double the limit; at hour 4 the food must be thrown out, not re-chilled.
- A
No. 04
What is the proper way to store cut lettuce?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 04
- A
Unwashed, in a bus tub on the counter Cut lettuce is TCS food, and leaving it unwashed on the counter skips both the wash and the cold holding it needs.
- B
At room temperature until the rush Cut leafy greens are TCS food, so room temperature lets bacteria like E. coli multiply.
- C
Washed, drained, and held at 41°F or below Correct: Cut leafy greens are TCS food, so they're washed, drained, and held at 41°F or below in clean containers.
- D
Soaking in a sink of water A sink of water isn't cold holding, and standing water can spread bacteria through the whole batch.
- A
No. 05
A prep cook makes a jar of chopped raw garlic in oil for the pizza line. How should it be held?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 05
- A
On the shelf, since oil keeps germs out Oil seals out air, which is exactly what botulism bacteria like; it doesn't keep germs out.
- B
At 41°F or below, like other TCS food Correct: Untreated garlic in oil is a TCS food, so it's held at 41°F or below to keep botulism bacteria from growing and making toxin.
- C
At room temperature if the lid is tight A tight lid doesn't stop growth; garlic in oil at room temperature can let botulism toxin form.
- D
Next to the oven so the oil stays runny Warmth near the oven puts the mix in the danger zone, the worst place for garlic in oil.
- A
No. 06
A sandwich station keeps four items on the line. Which one is a TCS food that needs time or temperature control?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 06
- A
Whole uncut apples Whole, uncut apples still have their skin intact, so they are not TCS food.
- B
Raw whole potatoes Raw potatoes become TCS only once they are cooked, not while whole and raw.
- C
Dinner rolls Plain baked bread is too dry for bacteria to grow, so it is not TCS food.
- D
Sliced tomatoes Correct: once tomatoes are cut, they are TCS food and must be kept at 41°F or lower.
- A
Nothing matches both filters. Clear one of them.
TCS questions
Does food stay TCS after it's cooked and chilled?
Yes. Cooked animal food and cooked plant food are both TCS, so your chilled leftovers hold at 41°F or below, and if they're kept past 24 hours they need a date mark (FDA Food Code 2022, 3-501.17).
Do cooked vegetables count?
They do. Heat-treated plant food is TCS, so a tray of roasted zucchini holds at 135°F or above on the line, or at 41°F or below once it's cooled. More on the numbers under time and temperature.
Sources
- FDA Food Code 2022 — 1-201.10 definition of TCS food, 3-501.16 holding, 3-501.19 time as a public health control checked Oct 13, 2026