Cooling Log for Cooked Food
Cooked food that cools slowly sits for hours in the range where bacteria multiply. Record when each batch starts cooling, check it at 2 hours and at the end, and write what you did if it missed the limit. Inspectors ask for this record whenever you cook ahead.
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Cooling Log for Cooked Food
Month: ________ Business: ________ Cooling limits (your HACCP plan): ________
| Date | Food / batch | Start time | Start °C | °C at 2 h | Final °C / time | OK? | Action | Initials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preview — the PDF has more rows and repeats the header on every page.
How to use it
- Start the clock when the food comes off the heat: probe the centre of the thickest part and write the time and temperature.
- Speed it up with shallow trays, smaller portions, an ice bath or a blast chiller; never put a large hot pot straight into the fridge.
- Probe again at 2 hours and at the end. A widely used limit (US FDA Food Code) is below 21°C within 2 h and below 5°C within 6 h in total; UK guidance aims for about 90 minutes. Use the limits in your own HACCP plan.
- If a batch misses a limit, reheat or discard it as your HACCP plan states and write the action in the row.
Cooling checks that don't get forgotten
Put the cooling check in a GrazieChef Hub checklist: the team ticks it from any phone or tablet and you see it done in real time.
Frequently asked questions
How fast should cooked food be cooled?
As fast as possible. EU Reg. 852/2004 requires food to be cooled as quickly as possible to a safe temperature; the US FDA Food Code sets 57°C to 21°C within 2 hours and to 5°C within 6 hours in total, and UK guidance recommends about 90 minutes. Follow the limits in your HACCP plan.
What is the quickest way to cool food?
Split it into shallow containers, stir soups and sauces in an ice bath, cut large joints into smaller pieces or use a blast chiller. Leave containers uncovered or loosely covered until cold.
Which foods need to be logged?
Every batch cooked ahead and cooled for later: stocks, sauces, rice, roasts, braises and cooked pulses. Large volumes are the ones most often linked to cooling problems.