New Mexico Food Handler Practice Test 2026: Practice test 5

Practice test 5 of 6 for the New Mexico Food Handler Practice Test: 25 more questions with answers and explanations.

Food safety
New Mexico
130 questions
Checked October 10, 2026

Question 1 of 25
A worker is sneezing and has a runny nose. What should they do?
- Use hand sanitizer and keep working with food
- Keep working but sneeze into the sink
- Not work with exposed food, utensils or food-contact surfaces
- Keep working at the salad station
Show answer
Answer: C. Not work with exposed food, utensils or food-contact surfaces
Workers with sneezing, coughing or a runny nose should not handle food or food-contact items.
Question 2 of 25
How many days can date-marked ready-to-eat TCS food be kept at 41°F or colder?
- 7 days
- 3 days
- 10 days
- 14 days
Show answer
Answer: A. 7 days
The food must be used or thrown out within 7 days. The day it was made or opened counts as day 1.
Question 3 of 25
When should sanitizer solution in a bucket be changed?
- Never, it lasts forever
- When it is dirty, cloudy or too weak
- Once a week
- Only when it runs out
Show answer
Answer: B. When it is dirty, cloudy or too weak
Food and dirt use up sanitizer. Replace it when it looks dirty or tests too weak.
Question 4 of 25
A customer has trouble breathing after eating. They say they have a food allergy. What should you do first?
- Offer them a free dessert
- Give them a glass of water and wait
- Call 911 right away
- Tell them to drive to a clinic
Show answer
Answer: C. Call 911 right away
A severe allergic reaction can be life-threatening. Call 911 immediately.
Question 5 of 25
You just cut raw chicken on a cutting board. What must you do before cutting lettuce on it?
- Turn the board over
- Wash, rinse and sanitize the board
- Wipe it with a dry towel
- Rinse it with cold water only
Show answer
Answer: B. Wash, rinse and sanitize the board
Use a separate board, or wash, rinse and sanitize the board after raw meat and before ready-to-eat food.
Question 6 of 25
When must a food worker wash their hands?
- After touching their hair or face
- Only when hands look dirty
- Only at the start of the shift
- Only after eating lunch
Show answer
Answer: A. After touching their hair or face
Wash after touching hair or face, using the restroom, handling raw meat, taking out garbage, eating, drinking, smoking, and more.
Question 7 of 25
Can an empty sanitizer bottle be washed and used to store salad dressing?
- Yes, if it is labeled with the date
- No, chemical containers must never be reused for food
- Yes, if it is washed with soap
- Yes, if it is used within one day
Show answer
Answer: B. No, chemical containers must never be reused for food
Never reuse chemical containers for food, and never put chemicals in food containers.
Question 8 of 25
Which of these is one of the major food allergens?
- Chicken
- Sesame
- Corn
- Rice
Show answer
Answer: B. Sesame
Sesame became the ninth major food allergen in the United States in 2023.
Question 9 of 25
Which step helps prevent allergen cross-contact when making an allergy-safe meal?
- Use the knife you just used on nuts
- Wash hands, change gloves and use clean, sanitized equipment
- Use the same fryer oil as the breaded shrimp
- Wipe the board with your apron
Show answer
Answer: B. Wash hands, change gloves and use clean, sanitized equipment
Clean tools and surfaces, fresh gloves and clean hands keep allergens out of food meant to be allergen-free.
Question 10 of 25
Meat that has been injected with a marinade or brine must be cooked to at least what temperature?
- 145°F for 15 seconds
- 155°F for 17 seconds
- 135°F for 15 seconds
- 125°F for 1 minute
Show answer
Answer: B. 155°F for 17 seconds
Injecting or tenderizing pushes germs from the surface into the meat, so it must reach 155°F for 17 seconds.
Question 11 of 25
What should you do before putting on single-use gloves?
- Blow into the gloves
- Put on hand lotion
- Wash your hands
- Nothing, gloves keep germs off
Show answer
Answer: C. Wash your hands
Gloves can pick up germs from dirty hands. Always wash hands before putting gloves on.
Question 12 of 25
A cook has had diarrhea since last night. What should happen?
- They can work at the grill but not the salad station
- They can work if they wash their hands more
- They can work if they wear gloves
- They must not work with food until they have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours
Show answer
Answer: D. They must not work with food until they have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours
Workers with vomiting or diarrhea are excluded from work and can return once symptoms have been gone for at least 24 hours.
Question 13 of 25
Leftover cooked food that will be held hot must be reheated to what temperature?
- 165°F for 15 seconds
- 145°F for 15 seconds
- 120°F for 1 minute
- 135°F for 15 seconds
Show answer
Answer: A. 165°F for 15 seconds
Cooked and cooled TCS food that will be hot held must be reheated to 165°F for 15 seconds.
Question 14 of 25
What is the minimum internal cooking temperature for stuffing made with meat, fish or poultry?
- 145°F
- 165°F
- 155°F
- 135°F
Show answer
Answer: B. 165°F
Stuffing and stuffed meats, fish, poultry and pasta must reach 165°F.
Question 15 of 25
Ice was used in an ice bath to cool a pot of soup. Can that ice be used in drinks?
- No, ice used to cool food or containers cannot be used as food
- Yes, if it is rinsed first
- Yes, if it is still frozen
- Yes, if it is used within 1 hour
Show answer
Answer: A. No, ice used to cool food or containers cannot be used as food
The Food Code does not allow ice used as a coolant to be used as food or in drinks.
Question 16 of 25
Which of these foods is a TCS food?
- Cooked rice
- Dry beans in a sealed bag
- Saltine crackers
- Uncooked dry pasta
Show answer
Answer: A. Cooked rice
Cooked rice, cooked beans and cooked potatoes are TCS foods. Dry foods are not, until they are cooked.
Question 17 of 25
What is the safest choice if you are not sure whether food is safe?
- Throw it out
- Freeze it and serve it later
- Taste it to check
- Serve it quickly
Show answer
Answer: A. Throw it out
"When in doubt, throw it out." Tasting cannot tell you whether food has harmful germs.
Question 18 of 25
What is the minimum internal cooking temperature for raw eggs cracked and cooked to order for a customer?
- 125°F for 15 seconds
- 145°F for 15 seconds
- 135°F for 15 seconds
- 115°F for 15 seconds
Show answer
Answer: B. 145°F for 15 seconds
Eggs cooked for immediate service must reach 145°F for 15 seconds.
Question 19 of 25
The 2026 FDA Food Code added training on food defense. What is food defense?
- Protecting food from being contaminated on purpose
- Keeping prices low
- Keeping food warm during delivery
- Defending a restaurant in court
Show answer
Answer: A. Protecting food from being contaminated on purpose
Food defense is about preventing intentional contamination of food, for example by limiting access to food areas.
Question 20 of 25
Which equipment should you use to reheat food for hot holding?
- A steam table
- A slow cooker on low
- A food warmer
- A stove, oven or microwave
Show answer
Answer: D. A stove, oven or microwave
Hot holding equipment heats food too slowly. Reheat quickly on a stove, in an oven or in a microwave, then move it to hot holding.
Question 21 of 25
How do you check that a thermometer is accurate using the ice-point method?
- Hold it in the air; it should read 70°F
- Put it in boiling water; it should read 100°F
- Put it in a cup of crushed ice and water; it should read 32°F
- Put it in the freezer; it should read 0°F
Show answer
Answer: C. Put it in a cup of crushed ice and water; it should read 32°F
In a glass of ice and water, an accurate thermometer reads 32°F. If not, adjust or replace it.
Question 22 of 25
Where should raw poultry be stored in a refrigerator with ready-to-eat food?
- On the bottom shelf
- Above the salad
- Next to the cooked food
- On the top shelf
Show answer
Answer: A. On the bottom shelf
Raw poultry needs the highest cooking temperature, so it goes lowest. That way its juices cannot drip onto other food.
Question 23 of 25
Ready-to-eat food from a sealed commercial package, such as canned chili, must be heated to what temperature for hot holding?
- 165°F
- 155°F
- 100°F
- 135°F
Show answer
Answer: D. 135°F
Commercially processed ready-to-eat food from an intact package only needs to reach 135°F for hot holding.
Question 24 of 25
What is cross-contact?
- When an allergen gets into a food that should not contain it
- When two hot dishes touch on a plate
- When a server touches a customer's hand
- When food is cooked twice
Show answer
Answer: A. When an allergen gets into a food that should not contain it
Shared gloves, utensils, cutting boards and fryer oil can move allergens into allergen-free food.
Question 25 of 25
When thawing food under running water, what must the water be like?
- Running and at least 100°F
- Still and salty
- Still and hot
- Running and 70°F or colder
Show answer
Answer: D. Running and 70°F or colder
Food must be fully under cold running water at 70°F or colder, in a food prep sink.

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