When food is prepared that will not be served when they are ordered. For example, when the chef partially prep, or “par-cook” dishes early to save time. It is important to get the food out of the temperature danger zone as fast as possible. As improper cooling and reheating can be the major cause of food borne illness among the customers. The ideal environment for bacteria infestation is when temperatures are between (70° -125° F) and so, food enters the danger zone when the temperature is between 5°C to 63°C (41°-135° F).
To avoid this risk foodservice operators should pay special attention to foods containing meat, dairy or eggs. The golden rule is to bring cooked food as quickly as possible down to a safe temperature and to store it in a way that does not allow heat to linger or transfer where large volumes are involved. Hence, the fast cooling log plays a vital role in monitoring the food temperature after a set interval of time.
Checks to be followed by the food operators to maintain a fast cooling log are following-
- Note the name of the food item
- Take food temperatures at specific cooling intervals ( NOTE- First, cool food from 135˚F to 70˚F within two hours and Then cool it from 70˚F to 41˚F or lower in the next four hours)
- Always refrigerate cooling food at shallow depths
- Ventilate cooling food
- Likewise, provide open-air space around the tops and sides of cooling food containers
- Avoid stacking cooling food containers on top of each other
- Discard the food that reaches a certain level below standards.
- Take corrective action if any fault found
To sum up, all food businesses in the industry need to guarantee that they serve the best quality food at all time. As a result, will help in maintaining a good image and reputation of their restaurant or hotel.
