What do you need to know?
• You must keep foods that would normally be kept cold or hot out of the temperature danger zone (5°C - 60°C) to stop bugs from growing and making people sick.
• Hot food must be kept above 60°C to stop bugs growing.
What do you need to do?
• Follow manufacturers’ instructions for using equipment.
• Heat food to 75°C or more before placing in a bain-marie or hot cabinet.
• Your equipment must keep food above 60°C. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the food.
• When food is being kept hot for more than 2 hours, check the temperature every 2 hours so you are sure it is above 60°C.
• If the 2 hour check shows that the food temperature is too low, reheat food to above 75°C and increase the temperature of the bain-marie or hot cabinet. If it's
below 60°C at the next check, throw it out.
• If hot food has been held at a temperature below 60°C for more than 2 hours, it must be thrown away.
• If hot food has been held at a temperature below 60°C for less than 2 hours, it can either be:
◦◦ thoroughly reheated and served hot (above 60°C), or
◦◦ cooled to below 5°C within four hours and kept at this temperature until it is eaten.
• Stir food to ensure it is kept hot all the way through.
• Do not mix old and new batches of reheated or hot, ready-to-eat food
What do you need to show?
• Show your verifier:
◦◦ how you keep food hot,
◦◦ how you measure temperature,
◦◦ how you know you're checking temperatures in the required time limits.
