The short answerSelling food safely from home comes down to five habits: cook to temperature (165°F poultry, 155°F ground meat, 145°F whole cuts and fish), keep cold food at 41°F or below and hot food at 135°F or above, wash hands and change gloves between raw and ready-to-eat, label the FDA top-9 allergens on every dish (milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, sesame), and never cook when you're sick. Your Food Protection Manager course covers the theory; this is what you'll use every day.
The numbers to memorize
FDA Food Code minimum internal cooking temperatures| Food | Minimum internal temp | Hold for |
|---|
| Poultry (whole, ground, stuffed) | 165°F (74°C) | Instant |
| Ground beef, pork, lamb; sausages | 155°F (68°C) | 17 seconds |
| Whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb; fish; eggs for immediate service | 145°F (63°C) | 15 seconds |
| Reheating anything for hot holding | 165°F (74°C) | Instant |
| Hot holding | 135°F (57°C) or above | — |
| Cold holding | 41°F (5°C) or below | — |
| Danger zone (bacteria multiply fastest) | 41°F – 135°F | Limit total time to under 4 hours |
A $15 digital probe thermometer is the single most important tool in a selling kitchen. Use it on every batch, not just when you're unsure. The MEHKO inspector will ask to see it.
The cooling rule (even for same-day cooks)
MEHKO food is same-day, but you'll still cool things — a stock, a braise made in the morning for a 6 p.m. pickup. The rule: 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then 70°F to 41°F within 4 more hours. Shallow pans, ice baths, and stirring get you there. A stockpot in the fridge does not.
Allergens: the FDA top 9 and how to label them
Federal law recognizes nine major allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame (sesame was added in 2023). Together they cause about 90% of serious food allergy reactions. For every dish you sell, you need to know which of the nine it contains — including hidden sources:
- Soy in soy sauce, tofu, miso, edamame, and many marinades (highly refined soybean oil is exempt from labeling).
- Wheat in soy sauce (most brands), seitan, some stocks, breadcrumbs, roux.
- Fish in fish sauce, Worcestershire, oyster sauce, dashi, Caesar dressing.
- Sesame in tahini, hummus, many spice blends, furikake, and as oil.
- Tree nuts in pesto, mole, romesco, many curries and Thai dishes, marzipan.
- Milk in ghee, butter, most naan, and cream-based sauces.
- Eggs in fresh pasta, many noodles, mayonnaise-based sauces, egg wash on pastry.
On Makinson Street, every listing has a required allergen field for exactly these nine. The maker fills it in; an AI check flags likely mismatches between the ingredient list and the allergen tags (fish sauce with no "fish" tag, for instance); and the customer sees it before ordering. It's the same declaration a restaurant is expected to be able to make on request — you just make it in advance.
Cross-contact vs. cross-contamination
Cross-contamination is bacteria: raw chicken juice on the salad board. Cross-contact is allergens: the peanut-sauce spoon in the vegetable curry. Heat kills the first; it does nothing to the second. If you cook with nuts, sesame, or shellfish, either clean thoroughly between dishes or tell customers the dish "may contain" — the honest disclosure is what keeps someone with a severe allergy safe.
Hands, gloves, and hair
- Wash for 20 seconds with soap before starting, after raw meat, after your phone, after the trash, after the bathroom, after touching your face.
- No bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food. Gloves, tongs, deli paper, or utensils.
- Gloves are not a substitute for washing — change them when you'd wash your hands.
- Hair tied back or covered. No jewelry beyond a plain band.
- Don't cook when you have diarrhea, vomiting, fever, jaundice, or a sore throat with fever. Wait 24 hours after symptoms end. This is the rule that actually prevents outbreaks.
Packaging and the handoff
- Hot food goes into containers hot and is picked up within 2 hours of cooking, or held at 135°F+. If you can't guarantee that, cool it properly and hand it off cold with reheating instructions.
- Vented lids for hot food so it doesn't steam itself soggy; sealed lids for cold.
- A label with the dish name, the date, and the allergens. Reheating instructions if it's meant to be reheated.
- If you deliver yourself, insulated bags — hot and cold separately — and no stops on the way.
What customers actually ask
The same handful of questions come up between makers and customers over and over. Having answers ready in your listing saves both of you time:
- "Is there [allergen] in this?" — Answered by the allergen tags, but expect follow-ups about cross-contact for nuts and shellfish.
- "Is it spicy?" — Give a 1–5 scale in the description.
- "Can I get it without [ingredient]?" — Decide your policy up front. Many makers allow one substitution on family portions and none on single plates.
- "How do I reheat it?" — Put it on the label and in the listing.
- "Is it halal / vegetarian / vegan?" — Use the diet question on your listing, and be precise: "no meat" and "vegan" are different claims.
- "How long does it keep?" — Cooked food in a home fridge: 3–4 days. Say so.
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