Texas Food Handler Practice Test 2026: Practice test 3

Practice test 3 of 6 for the Texas Food Handler Practice Test: 25 more questions with answers and explanations.

Food safety
Texas
131 questions
Checked October 10, 2026

Question 1 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 2 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 3 of 25
How close to the true temperature must a food thermometer in Fahrenheit read?
- Within 20°F
- Within 15°F
- Within 10°F
- Within 2°F
Show answer
Answer: D. Within 2°F
The Food Code requires food temperature measuring devices scaled in Fahrenheit to be accurate to within 2°F.
Question 4 of 25
Who publishes the Food Code that most states base their food safety rules on?
- The Internal Revenue Service
- The U.S. Department of Transportation
- Each restaurant owner
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Show answer
Answer: D. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The FDA Food Code is a model that state, local, tribal and territorial governments can adopt as their own rules.
Question 5 of 25
Which is the right way to dry your hands after washing?
- A shared cloth towel
- Your apron
- A single-use paper towel or an air dryer
- The side of your pants
Show answer
Answer: C. A single-use paper towel or an air dryer
Use paper towels or a hand dryer. Aprons and shared towels can put germs back on clean hands.
Question 6 of 25
Within how long must leftovers be reheated to 165°F for hot holding?
- 4 hours
- 2 hours
- 6 hours
- 8 hours
Show answer
Answer: B. 2 hours
Reheating must be done quickly, within 2 hours, so the food does not sit in the danger zone.
Question 7 of 25
At what temperature must cold TCS food be held?
- 55°F or colder
- 41°F or colder
- 45°F or colder
- 50°F or colder
Show answer
Answer: B. 41°F or colder
Cold holding means keeping TCS food at 41°F or colder.
Question 8 of 25
What is a foodborne illness?
- A sickness caused by eating or drinking contaminated food or drinks
- A stomach ache caused by eating too quickly
- A skin rash caused by touching cleaning chemicals
- An allergy to the smell of cooking food
Show answer
Answer: A. A sickness caused by eating or drinking contaminated food or drinks
A foodborne illness happens when someone eats or drinks food that carries harmful germs, toxins or chemicals.
Question 9 of 25
Which is a safe way to cool a large pot of soup?
- Leave it on the counter overnight
- Divide it into shallow pans and stir it in an ice bath
- Put the whole pot in the cooler with a tight lid
- Wrap the pot in towels to keep heat in
Show answer
Answer: B. Divide it into shallow pans and stir it in an ice bath
Large, deep containers cool too slowly. Shallow pans, ice baths, ice paddles and blast chillers speed up cooling.
Question 10 of 25
In this cooling diagram, what does marker 2 show?
- Holding food at 135°F
- Cooling from 70°F to 41°F within the next 4 hours
- Reheating food to 165°F
- Cooling from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours
Show answer
Answer: B. Cooling from 70°F to 41°F within the next 4 hours
Marker 2 is the second stage: from 70°F down to 41°F within 4 more hours, so the total is no more than 6 hours.
Question 11 of 25
Where may a restaurant get its food?
- From an approved, licensed source
- From a worker's home kitchen
- From a customer who brings it in
- From any roadside stand
Show answer
Answer: A. From an approved, licensed source
Food must come from approved sources that follow food safety laws. Food made in a private home is not allowed unless the law permits it.
Question 12 of 25
Where should food workers wash their hands?
- In the food prep sink
- In the three-compartment dish sink
- Only at a sink set aside for handwashing
- In the mop sink
Show answer
Answer: C. Only at a sink set aside for handwashing
Handwashing sinks are only for washing hands. Never use food prep, dish or mop sinks.
Question 13 of 25
Under the Food Code, what must at least one supervisor or manager in most food establishments hold?
- A college degree in chemistry
- Food protection manager certification
- A commercial driver's license
- A pest control license
Show answer
Answer: B. Food protection manager certification
The Food Code requires at least one employee with supervisory and management responsibility to be a certified food protection manager.
Question 14 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 15 of 25
Which of these is a physical hazard?
- Norovirus on a worker's hands
- Salmonella bacteria on raw chicken
- Sanitizer that splashed into soup
- A piece of broken glass in a salad
Show answer
Answer: D. A piece of broken glass in a salad
A physical hazard is an object, such as glass, metal, a staple or a bandage, that ends up in food.
Question 16 of 25
Where may food workers eat, drink or smoke?
- At the prep table
- Only in a designated area away from food and equipment
- In the walk-in cooler
- Next to the dish machine
Show answer
Answer: B. Only in a designated area away from food and equipment
Eating, drinking and tobacco use belong in a set area where they cannot contaminate food. Wash hands afterward.
Question 17 of 25
What is one of the best ways to keep pests out?
- Keep garbage cans open
- Leave food uncovered overnight
- Leave the back door open for fresh air
- Keep doors and windows closed or screened and seal holes
Show answer
Answer: D. Keep doors and windows closed or screened and seal holes
Deny pests access, food and shelter: seal openings, cover food and keep garbage in tightly covered cans.
Question 18 of 25
Can food workers touch ready-to-eat food, such as sandwich bread, with bare hands?
- No, they must use utensils, deli tissue or single-use gloves
- Yes, if they wear a hat
- Yes, if their hands look clean
- Yes, if the food will be served cold
Show answer
Answer: A. No, they must use utensils, deli tissue or single-use gloves
Bare hands can spread germs. Ready-to-eat food will not be cooked again, so it must be handled with gloves or utensils.
Question 19 of 25
Which jewelry may a food worker wear on the hands and arms while preparing food?
- A plain ring, such as a wedding band
- A bracelet
- A watch
- A ring with stones
Show answer
Answer: A. A plain ring, such as a wedding band
The Food Code allows only a plain ring, and medically necessary devices, on the hands and arms.
Question 20 of 25
What are the three main types of hazards that can make food unsafe?
- Hot, cold and room temperature
- Biological, chemical and physical
- Sweet, sour and salty
- Frozen, canned and fresh
Show answer
Answer: B. Biological, chemical and physical
Germs are biological hazards, cleaners and pesticides are chemical hazards, and objects such as glass or metal are physical hazards.
Question 21 of 25
In this fridge diagram, which marker shows the shelf for ready-to-eat food?
- Marker 4
- Marker 6
- Marker 1
- Marker 5
Show answer
Answer: C. Marker 1
Ready-to-eat food goes on the top shelf (marker 1), above all raw meat, fish and poultry.
Question 22 of 25
Fish that will be served raw, such as in sushi, must first be treated in what way to kill parasites?
- Stored in the cooler for 24 hours
- Rinsed in cold water for 1 minute
- Soaked in lemon juice
- Frozen at -4°F or colder for 7 days
Show answer
Answer: D. Frozen at -4°F or colder for 7 days
The Food Code requires parasite destruction by freezing, for example at -4°F or colder for 7 days, unless the fish is exempt.
Question 23 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.
Question 24 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 25 of 25
A worker vomits in the dining room. What should be used to clean it up?
- A disinfectant that works against norovirus, following written cleanup steps
- A dry mop only
- Plain water and a towel
- The same sanitizer used on cutting boards
Show answer
Answer: A. A disinfectant that works against norovirus, following written cleanup steps
Kitchen sanitizers do not kill norovirus well. Follow the written procedure and use a disinfectant that works against norovirus.

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