"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in
:

>
> "David Harmon" > wrote in message
> m...

>>
>> What does "double the temperature" mean? Degrees above absolute
>> zero?
>>
>>
>
> Sort of a strange way of specifying anything. Foods are supposed to
> be kept below 40 deg F so you could possibly be interpreting that as
> 80F. OTOH, if it was three times the guideline it would be within the
> guidelines, it would be safe again at the recommended 120 degrees.
>
>

Temps in Australia are measured in Celsius, though. The doubles and triples
wouldn't work out that way. The regs here (http://tinyurl.com/kkf3t3) are
that potentially hazardous food (which would include raw egg mayonnaise)
need to be stored at 5C (41F) or below, or 60C (140F) or above. Even if it
was 120F (49C) triple the cold temp still wouldn't bring it into the higher
safe temp.

It is an imprecise way of wording it. Perhaps the writer didn't want to go
into detail of the regulations and exactly how they breached them. The
regulations specify ways in which foods like this can be held at room temp,
but then there are time requirements - has to be used within certain
timeframe, can only be returned to refrigeration within a certain
timeframe, must be disposed of after a certain time at room temp etc.

Perhaps it was all too complicated, and they figured saying "double the
temperature" got across the idea that the mayonnaise had been stored
unsafely.


--
Rhonda Anderson
Cranebrook, NSW, Australia

Core of my heart, my country! Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine she pays us back threefold.
My Country, Dorothea MacKellar, 1904