Food Control Plan Checklist - Tararua District Council

Serve SafeCooling hot prepared food1 Goal 2 Why?To cool hot, ready-to-eat foods quickly to minimise the lengthof time it spends in the temperature danger zone.• Food in the temperature danger zone (4ºC to 60ºC) willencourage harmful microbes to grow rapidly.3 How this is doneCool hot food quicklyReadily perishable food is cooled from 60ºC to 21ºCin two hours and from 21ºC to 4ºC in four hours.Methods for chilling hot food dishes1. Use a blast chiller.2. Put the food into a tray or larger dish (preferably metal) toincrease its surface area.3. Divide food into smaller portions.4. Place on a rack to improve air circulation around the food.5. Move hot food to a colder area.6. Place vacuum packed foods into iced water.7. Stand pans of hot food in cold/ice water.8. Stir hot liquid as it’s chilling.9. Use the ‘cool setting’ on the oven (the oven must be coolfirst!).10. Place the food in the chiller once it has cooled to 21ºC.Regularly check that food has cooled within timeframe using a probe thermometer (see Checkingtemperatures).4 What if there is a problem?If hot prepared food has not been cooled from 60ºC to 21ºCin two hours and from 21ºC to 4ºC in four hours it should bethrown away.Try alternative cooling methods to find one that will cool foodto 4ºC within the required time.5Write it downOnce a week write down in the Diary thetemperature check made on one poultry itemthat has been cooled down.Write down in the Diary any problems thatyou have had in cooling food to 4oC in therequired time and what action you took.Make a note in your Diary of any itemsthat you have had to throw away or recook.Also write down any matters that mightneed following up (eg, training, coolingmethod etc).Food Control Plan Version 3.0 2011S12