What the session covers
Food safety at home is often overcomplicated or undersimplified. This session takes the most common home-cook questions — thermometers, leftovers, fridge order, the "two-hour rule", reheating — and answers them clearly, with the source behind each answer shown. The first 20 minutes are a structured overview; the remaining 40 are open questions from attendees.
The core topics
Safe internal temperatures
Every protein has a minimum internal temperature recommended by food safety authorities. Poultry requires 74 °C (165 °F); beef and lamb steaks 63 °C (145 °F) with a three-minute rest; fish 63 °C (145 °F). These are not suggestions — they are the temperatures at which pathogens including Salmonella and Listeria are reliably killed. The safe internal temperatures guide has the full USDA and UK FSA table.
The danger zone
Between 5 °C and 60 °C, bacteria that cause food poisoning multiply rapidly. The practical rule: food should not sit in this range for more than two hours in total, including cooling time, serving time and reheating time combined. USDA food safety guidance and the UK Food Standards Agency both set the same two-hour limit.
Cooling and storing leftovers
Cooked food should be in the fridge within two hours of cooking. Shallow containers help food cool faster. See the cooling and storing leftovers guide for specific storage times for different food types. Common questions at this session include: "Can I put hot food in the fridge?" (yes, spread it first) and "How many times can I reheat rice?" (once, and to 75 °C throughout).
Cross-contamination
The session covers the three most important rules for preventing cross-contamination: separate raw from ready-to-eat food on boards, hands and surfaces; store raw meat at the bottom of the fridge; and wash hands thoroughly after handling raw poultry. The UK FSA cross-contamination guide is the reference for this section.
Who should attend
Anyone who cooks at home and wants to understand food safety without reading through long official documents. No prior knowledge is needed. The session is designed to give practical, memorable answers to the questions people are too embarrassed to ask. There are no wrong questions.
Official sources cited in this session