Cooling Food Safely

Cooling is Domain 3’s hardest sub-topic and it is asked as a scenario, not a definition.

The two-stage rule:

  1. 135 F to 70 F in 2 hours.

  2. 70 F to 41 F in 4 more hours.

If the food has not reached 70 F in two hours, you must reheat it to 165 F for 15 seconds and start the cooling process again. Reheating resets the clock; it does not rescue food that has already spent too long warm.

Approved cooling methods:

  • Ice-water bath with frequent stirring

  • Ice paddle

  • Blast chiller

  • Small shallow pans, no more than 4 inches deep, loosely covered

  • Cut large items into smaller portions

Never cool at room temperature and never stack hot pans of food together.

Scenario questions that use these numbers: FoodSafe Prep.