It is a legal requirement for all people working in the food industry to have their food handlers permit. However, you can get a job in the food industry without it, as long as you receive it within 60 days of employment.
In the meantime, how are you supposed to make sure you keep your patrons safe with high-quality food? Well, you can use our food handling cheat sheet! We’ve included this below for your convenience. With it, you can learn the basics before you sign up for an online Texas food handlers course.
How to Sign Up For a Texas Food Handlers Course
Before learning some helpful information to assist you in the food industry, you probably want to know how to sign up for a food handlers card in Texas and what the process actually involves.
It’s easy to be daunted by the prospect of “study” if you haven’t been in an educational environment for some time. However, you’ll be pleased to know that getting your food handlers permit is straightforward.
You can visit online our online enrollment page and purchase the Texas Food Handlers License course for just $6.99. You can also bundle it with a TABC certification. The course is 100% online and can be completed at your pace to your schedule. You can pause it and come back to it whenever you please.
However, just remember that you must complete and pass your course within 60 days of working in the food industry. The platform is user-friendly, and when you pass, the certificate can be directly downloaded for you to print. You can then print one copy for yourself and one for your employer.
In the meantime, though, let’s get onto that food handling cheat sheet!
Clean
Being clean, keeping your environment clean, and ensuring food is clean, is possibly one of the most important things you will learn with both on-the-job training and your Texas food handlers course.
Make sure you clean your hands before, during, and after you handle food. This process involves washing your hands and arms up to your elbows for at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water. Make sure to clean under your fingernails, your fingertips, and the backs of your hands thoroughly. Rinse off the soap under warm water, then dry your hands with a paper towel.
Each time you switch food types, touch a contaminated surface or your body, or change tasks, wash your hands thoroughly.
Cross-Contamination Avoidance
One of the best ways to avoid cross-contamination while working with food is to keep food types separated during preparation. This involves using separate tools and surfaces, as well.
Use different cutting boards and utensils with each food type you’re preparing. For example, don’t cut fruit and vegetables on the same cutting board that you’ve just cut raw meat.
Cooking Temperatures
You may not be used to using thermometers or measuring temperatures at home, but temperature control is an integral part of the food industry where food safety is a priority. Make sure that you cook all food types to their proper temperature.
The appropriate temperature can differ from one food type to the next, but we’ve included some general guidelines below, courtesy of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
| Beef, Pork, Veal & Lamb Steaks, chops, roasts | 145 °F (62.8 °C) and allow to rest for at least 3 minutes |
| Ground Meats | 160 °F (71.1 °C) |
| Ground Poultry | 165 °F |
| Ham, fresh or smoked (uncooked) | 145 °F (62.8 °C) and allow to rest for at least 3 minutes |
| Fully Cooked Ham (to reheat) | Reheat cooked hams packaged in USDA-inspected plants to 140 °F (60 °C) and all others to 165 °F (73.9 °C). |
| All Poultry (breasts, whole bird, legs, thighs, wings, ground poultry, giblets, and stuffing) | 165 °F (73.9 °C) |
| Eggs | 160 °F (71.1 °C) |
| Fish & Shellfish | 145 °F (62.8 °C) |
| Leftovers | 165 °F (73.9 °C) |
| Casseroles | 165 °F (73.9 °C) |
Regulate Temperatures
While the internal cooked temperature is an integral part of food safety, so is regulating that temperature once the food has been cooked or prepared.
Refrigerated products should be kept at 39 degrees-Fahrenheit or colder, frozen foods at 0 degrees-Fahrenheit or lower, and hot foods for serving at 140 degrees-Fahrenheit or above.
Are You Ready to Do Your Texas Food Handlers Course?
Some of the information above is a small taste of what you can expect in the Texas food handlers Card course we offer. Why not enroll today so that you can be in the best position to provide your customers with a safe and rewarding dining experience?