What are the key temperatures?
Cook food until the core reaches 75 °C, or an equivalent such as 70 °C for two minutes. Keep hot food above 63 °C.
Keep chilled food between 0 °C and 5 °C; a fridge set at 3 °C or 4 °C usually does it. Freezers should be at -18 °C or colder.
Between 5 °C and 63 °C is the danger zone. Bacteria grow best at about 25 °C to 40 °C, which is why lukewarm food is risky.
Remember
- Cook: 75 °C at the core.
- Hot hold: above 63 °C. Chill: 0 °C to 5 °C. Freeze: -18 °C or colder.
- Danger zone: 5 °C to 63 °C.
Facts and sources for this section
- Cook food so the core reaches 75 °C, or an equivalent such as 70 °C for two minutes. [S4]
- Keep hot food above 63 °C, outside the danger zone of 5 °C to 63 °C. [S4]
- Fridges should keep food between 0 °C and 5 °C; a fridge set at 3 °C or 4 °C generally does this. [S4]
- Freezers in food businesses should be kept at -18 °C or colder. [S4]
- Bacteria grow best at about 25 °C to 40 °C, so lukewarm food is dangerous. [S4]
How do I cool, reheat and defrost safely?
Cool cooked food as quickly as possible and get it into the fridge within two hours. Smaller portions and shallow trays cool faster.
Reheat food only once, until piping hot: 70 °C or more at the core. Cooked food that isn't kept above 63 °C should be used within two hours of cooking.
Defrost in the fridge, not under the tap. Freeze food only once; you can defrost, cook and then freeze the cooked dish.
Remember
- Into the fridge within two hours of cooking.
- Reheat once, to 70 °C or more at the core.
- Defrost in the fridge; never refreeze raw food that has thawed.
Facts and sources for this section
- Cool cooked food as quickly as possible and get it into the fridge within two hours. [S4]
- Reheat food only once, until piping hot: 70 °C or more at the core. [S4]
- Cooked food that is not kept above 63 °C should be used up within two hours of cooking. [S4]
- The best place to defrost food is in the fridge, not under the cold tap. [S4]
- Only freeze food once: do not refreeze food that has thawed, though you can cook it and then freeze it. [S4]
How do I take and record a temperature?
Use a calibrated probe thermometer and measure at the core, the centre or thickest part. Sanitise the probe before and after each use.
Write the reading down accurately, at the time you take it, not at the end of the shift. If food is outside its temperature limit, tell your manager and record what was done.
Probes drift. The FSAI says to check a thermometer's accuracy at least twice a year.
Remember
- Probe the core, with a clean, calibrated probe.
- Record in real time, honestly.
- Out of range? Report it and record the action.
Facts and sources for this section
- Check food with a calibrated probe thermometer at the core of the food, and record the reading. [S4]
- Sanitise the probe before and after use to prevent cross-contamination. [S4]
- Fill in food safety records accurately and in real time. [S3]
- If food is outside its required temperature, report it to your manager and take and record corrective action. [S3]
- Check a probe thermometer's accuracy (calibrate it) at least twice a year. [S4]
Where does HACCP fit?
HACCP means working out what could go wrong with food and planning how to stop it. Since 1998 every food business in Ireland has needed a food safety system based on HACCP principles.
There are seven HACCP principles, and the seventh is keeping records. Your temperature sheets and cleaning logs are part of the system. Records for food eaten straight away are kept for three months after the sale.
Whoever builds and runs the HACCP plan needs proper HACCP training. That is a manager's job, and this course does not teach it.
Remember
- HACCP: spot what could go wrong, prevent it.
- Your records are part of HACCP.
- Running a HACCP plan needs separate training.
Facts and sources for this section
- In simple terms, HACCP means identifying what could go wrong in a food system and planning how to prevent it. [S13]
- Since 1998, every food business in Ireland has had to have a food safety management system based on the principles of HACCP. [S13]
- There are seven HACCP principles; the last is to keep records of all the others. [S13]
- Article 5 of Regulation 852/2004 requires a permanent procedure or procedures based on the HACCP principles. [S11]
- Under the 2006 Irish hygiene regulations, records for food eaten straight away are kept for three months after the sale. [S9]
- Under the same chapter, the people who develop and maintain a business's HACCP-based procedure must have adequate training in the HACCP principles. [S8]
- Businesses with only low-risk activities may control food safety with prerequisite programmes, without full HACCP-based procedures. [S13]
Check what you've learned
Three questions from the test, with explanations. Tap an answer.
Question 1 of 3
Hot food on display should be kept at what temperature?
Show the answer
Correct: D, Above 63 °C. Keep hot food above 63 °C, outside the danger zone. [S4]
Question 2 of 3
How many times can you reheat food, and to what temperature?
Show the answer
Correct: A, Once, until 70 °C or more at the core. Reheat only once, until piping hot: 70 °C or more at the core. [S4]
Question 3 of 3
When should you fill in a temperature record?
Show the answer
Correct: B, At the time you take the reading, accurately. Food safety records are completed accurately and in real time. [S3]