Food Temperature Control Checklist: Cooking, Cooling, Holding
- Who checks
- Line cook or sous chef
- When
- Daily, throughout the shift per the temperature check schedule
- Time
- ~20 min · 22 items
| Location | Date and time | Inspector | Signature |
Many foodborne illness cases in restaurants are caused not by “bad ingredients” but by time and temperature: undercooked chicken, stock left cooling on the stove overnight, a side dish reheated in a steam table. This checklist takes food through three critical points — cooking, cooling and holding — and confirms that each one is measured with a probe thermometer, not by eye.
The figures in the items are widely used reference values; take the working values for each dish from your recipe specs and your local food code. Record readings in the log right away, and if there’s a deviation, follow your HACCP plan procedure: cook longer, reheat, re-cool or discard.
How temperatures are measured
-
1
Doneness is checked with a probe thermometer, not by eye The cook has a working probe thermometer and probe wipes at the station; ask how they check that chicken is done — the right answer is “with the probe”.☐ Yes☐ No
-
2
The probe goes into the thickest part of the food The probe doesn’t touch bone or the bottom of the pan; liquids are stirred and measured in the center of the container.☐ Yes☐ No
Cooking
-
3
Core temperature of poultry, °C Reference: at least 75 °C in the thickest part, or an equivalent time-temperature setting from the recipe spec (e.g. 70 °C held for 2 minutes).
-
4
Core temperature of ground meat products, °C Patties, burgers, kebabs: same reference as poultry unless the recipe spec sets another setting; no pink juices inside.
-
5
Undercooked dishes are served only from an approved list Whole-muscle steaks and fish cooked medium are served that way only if the recipe spec allows it; ground meat and poultry are never served undercooked.☐ Yes☐ No
-
6
Dishes with raw egg use pasteurized egg or an approved procedure Homemade mayonnaise, tiramisu, yolk-based sauces — made with pasteurized egg product or per the method described in the HACCP plan.☐ Yes☐ No
-
7
Every batch is temperature-checked The log has a separate timed entry for each combi oven load or batch of patties, not one entry per shift.☐ Yes☐ No
-
8
Undercooked food goes back for further cooking Ask the cook what they do if the probe reads below the limit: the food is cooked further and re-checked, and this is recorded in the log.☐ Yes☐ No
Cooling
-
9
Hot food is cooled using a two-stage method Common reference: from 57–60 °C to 21 °C within 2 hours, and to 5 °C within a further 4 hours (US: 135 °F → 70 °F → 41 °F). Some countries are stricter — follow your local code. The log shows time and temperature for both stages.☐ Yes☐ No
-
10
Food temperature after 2 hours of cooling, °C Measure one batch mid-cooling: it must be 21 °C or below; otherwise follow the HACCP plan (reheat and restart cooling, or discard).
-
11
A blast chiller or ice bath is used for cooling Large pots are not left to cool on the stove or counter; without a blast chiller, the container goes into a sink of ice water and the food is stirred.☐ Yes☐ No
-
12
Food is cooled in shallow containers Food depth no more than about 5 cm (2 in); large cuts of meat are portioned, stock is split into several hotel pans.☐ Yes☐ No
-
13
Hot containers are not placed in a fridge with other food A hot pot warms the unit and the food around it; it goes into a regular fridge only after the first cooling stage.☐ Yes☐ No
-
14
Cooling food is not tightly covered While cooling, the container is loosely covered or has a vented lid so steam escapes; a tight lid goes on after cooling.☐ Yes☐ No
Reheating
-
15
Reheated dishes reach at least 75 °C in the core Reheat quickly — on the stove, in a combi oven or microwave; reference at least 75 °C (US: 165 °F) unless your local code sets another value.☐ Yes☐ No
-
16
Steam tables are not used for reheating A steam table only holds food that is already hot; food from the fridge spends too long in the danger zone there.☐ Yes☐ No
-
17
Dishes are reheated only once Leftover reheated portions don’t go back into the fridge to be reheated again.☐ Yes☐ No
Holding and service
-
18
Hot food on the line is held at 63 °C or above Measure 2–3 items in the steam table. Reference: at least 63 °C (codes in different countries range from 57 to 65 °C; US: 135 °F); below that, reheat or discard per procedure.☐ Yes☐ No
-
19
Cold dishes and salads on the line are held at 5 °C or below Refrigerated display or containers on ice; measure inside the salad. If warmer, return to cold storage or discard per procedure.☐ Yes☐ No
-
20
The steam table is preheated before food is set out Water in the bath is hot before service starts, thermostat set so food stays at 63 °C or above.☐ Yes☐ No
-
21
The time food was set out on the line is known Set-out time is marked on containers or in the holding log; food held longer than the set limit is replaced.☐ Yes☐ No
-
22
Holding temperatures are checked on schedule, usually at least every 2 hours The interval between log entries is no longer than set in the HACCP plan — so a deviation can be fixed while the food is still safe.☐ Yes☐ No
This template is a starting point. Check the limits and wording against your local regulations, your company standards and the equipment manufacturers' instructions.
jeCheck · https://jecheck.io/en/templates/cooking-cooling-temperatures
Common violations
- Chicken doneness is judged by color and poking it with a fork. Meat color doesn’t guarantee it’s cooked through — only a probe in the thickest part shows harmful bacteria have been killed.
- A large pot of stock or rice is left to cool overnight on the stove. The food sits for hours in the range where spore-forming bacteria multiply, and reheating doesn’t always destroy their toxins.
- The steam table is used to reheat prepped food from the fridge. Food takes a long time to heat up and spends most of that time in the danger zone.
- Only one portion per shift is temperature-checked. A deviation in another batch — for example, in an overloaded combi oven — goes unnoticed.
Frequently asked questions
It’s roughly 5 °C to 57–63 °C (41 °F to 135 °F in the US; limits vary slightly between countries) — the range where bacteria multiply fastest. The kitchen’s job is to move food through this range as quickly as possible during cooking, cooling and reheating, and not to hold it there during service.
The general reference is at least 70–75 °C in the thickest part, or an equivalent time-and-temperature setting. The exact value for each dish comes from the recipe spec and your local food code; sous vide and dishes served undercooked need separately approved methods.
Follow your HACCP plan. If the first stage (to 21 °C) isn’t reached within 2 hours, the food is usually reheated and cooling restarted, or it is discarded; if the second stage isn’t met, it is discarded. The case is recorded in the log with the corrective action.
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