Direct answer
For food safety manager review, poultry and stuffed foods commonly use 165°F, ground meats use 155°F, and seafood, steaks, chops, and eggs for immediate service use 145°F.
The chart is only useful if you match the temperature to the food type and the task. A burger, a chicken breast, and reheated chili do not use the same reasoning.
Minimum internal temperatures
Use this chart to answer practice questions quickly, then confirm current official requirements in your course or exam materials.
- 165°F for 15 seconds: poultry, stuffed foods, and reheated TCS food for hot holding.
- 155°F for 17 seconds: ground meat and injected meat.
- 145°F for 15 seconds: seafood, steaks, chops, and eggs for immediate service.
- 135°F: commercially processed ready-to-eat food heated for hot holding, where allowed by the rule being tested.
How exam questions hide the rule
A question may ask about a burger, stuffed pasta, reheated soup, or grilled fish instead of naming the temperature category. Identify the food type first, then choose the number.
Practice mini-quiz
Answer by naming the food category first, then the temperature.
- A hamburger patty is cooked for service. Category: ground meat. Common test rule: 155°F for 17 seconds.
- A turkey breast is cooked for service. Category: poultry. Common test rule: 165°F for 15 seconds.
- A stuffed pasta dish is cooked. Category: stuffed food. Common test rule: 165°F for 15 seconds.
- A salmon fillet is cooked for immediate service. Category: seafood. Common test rule: 145°F for 15 seconds.
Common traps
Most errors come from choosing a familiar number without checking the food category. If the food is ground, stuffed, poultry, or reheated for hot holding, slow down.