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When you eat lunch at an all-you-can-eat buffet, the hot food display cases play an important part in keeping you from becoming sick after enjoying your meal. These cases keep all your favorite foods, from sweet and sour chicken to hand-rolled enchiladas, hot enough to prevent dangerous bacteria from growing. Some Don’t Like it Too Hot Bacteria growth slows significantly in temperatures above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, but in order to ensure food safety for hours, most buffets keep food about ten degrees hotter than that. Bacteria won’t actually die unless hot temperatures reach about 165 degrees. Wet is Better Bacteria need moisture in order to survive. Without carefully monitored and maintained heat, most foods in a buffet case, such as meat, vegetables, and dairy products, provide an ideal environment for bacteria to multiply that will make humans sick. Salt and sugars are natural preservatives that help keep bacteria at bay, too. Acidic versus Alkaline The scale used to measure pH has a neutral mid-point of seven. Foods with a pH level below seven are considered to be acidic, while those with a pH level above seven are called alkaline. Bacteria reproduce best in environments that are only a few points on either side of neutral. Next time you eat at your neighborhood buffet, take a moment to listen to the water boiling underneath the trays of food. You will appreciate the technology involved in keeping those hot food display functioning properly in order to give you all your favorite foods at temperatures that keep you safe and coming back for seconds. And thirds.
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