A food worker is about to partially cook a large batch of chicken stir-fry. What must he do immediately before cooling the food?

• A. Freeze immediately
• B. Add oil
• C. Refrigerate immediately
• D. Heat the food for no longer than one hour

Answer: (D)

When you partially cook a large batch, you must finish heating it to a safe temperature before cooling. Doing this quickly helps kill any pathogens and then cooling stops their growth. The requirement here is to heat the food for no longer than one hour, bringing it to a safe temperature and then moving to rapid cooling. This limits time in the temperature danger zone and reduces risk of bacterial growth.

Why the other ideas don’t fit: freezing right away wouldn’t address any bacteria that may have started to grow during partial cooking; adding oil doesn’t improve safety; refrigerating immediately before finishing the heating could leave pathogens intact; and heating for longer than needed doesn’t provide safety benefits and can degrade quality.