To what temperature does an open-facedd toasted cheese sandwich need to be cooked?

Cooking temperatures vary depending on whether or not the food is cooked for immediate service or cooked for hot-holding. It is the assumption that all foods in school foodservice are cooked and then hot-held. Therefore, an open-faced toasted cheese sandwich must be cooked to 135 degrees F or hotter.

To begin with, cheese is a potentially hazardous food and so must be properly cooked to maintain safety. The cheese is also classified as a processed food that is ready-to-eat. Other examples of processed foods that are ready-to-eat include cans of soup and frozen pizza. All of these foods must be cooked to 135 degrees F before placement in a hot box or on a hot-holding unit.

If these foods are saved as leftovers, they must be properly cooled, stored, and then reheated to 165 degrees F. Keep in mind that the quality of some of these products are poor after reheating so it is important to consider that when saving them as a leftover.