Cooling and Reheating Food
Fact Sheet
Cool cooked food in the following way:
Food must be cooled from
135˚F to 70˚F (57˚C to 21˚C)
within two hours, and
from 70˚F to 41˚F (21˚C
to 5˚C) or lower in
the next four hours.
Before cooling food, reduce...
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Cooling and Reheating Food
Fact Sheet
Cool cooked food in the following way:
Food must be cooled from
135˚F to 70˚F (57˚C to 21˚C)
within two hours, and
from 70˚F to 41˚F (21˚C
to 5˚C) or lower in
the next four hours.
Before cooling food, reduce the quantity or size of the
food you are cooling by dividing large food items into
smaller portions.
Methods for cooling food:
G Place food in ice-water baths and stir regularly.
G Stir the food with an ice paddle.
G Place food in a blast chiller or a tumble chiller.
When reheating food:
Reheat previously cooked, potentially hazardous food to an internal
temperature of 165˚F (74˚C) for fifteen seconds within two hours.
If the food
has not reached this temperature within two hours, throw it out.
Cooling and reheating are
important steps in the
preparation of food.
During
cooling, you must minimize
the time food spends in the
temperature danger zone.
When reheating food, you
must make sure it quickly
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