How to Cool Food Properly in Your Restaurant

Cooling food correctly is one of the most overlooked steps in food safety. When hot food cools too slowly, it spends too long in the temperature danger zone, where bacteria multiply fastest. The safe way to cool cooked food is to move it through that range quickly using the two-stage cooling method. This guide explains the cooling time limits, the fastest approved methods, and how to check that food has cooled safely.

What Is the Two-Stage Cooling Method?

The two-stage cooling method is the standard rule for safely cooling cooked food. It works in two steps:

• Stage one: Cool food from 135°F down to 70°F within two hours.
• Stage two: Cool food from 70°F down to 41°F or lower within the next four hours.

The total cooling time cannot be more than six hours. The first stage has the tighter limit because bacteria grow fastest in the upper part of the danger zone, so getting food below 70°F quickly is the most important step. If food has not reached 70°F within the first two hours, it needs to be reheated to 165°F and cooled again, or thrown out.

Why Do You Have to Cool Hot Food Quickly?

Hot food must be cooled quickly to slow the growth of harmful bacteria. The temperature danger zone is the range between 41°F and 135°F, and bacteria in that range can double in as little as 20 minutes. The longer food sits in the danger zone, the more bacteria grow, which raises the risk of foodborne illness. Rapid cooling moves food through that range before bacteria have time to reach unsafe levels.

What Is the Best Way to Safely Cool Food?

The safest way to cool food is to reduce its size and increase its exposure to cold. A few approved methods work well, and they can be combined:

• Ice water bath: Place the food in a shallow container and set it in a sink or larger container filled with ice and water, stirring often.
• Ice paddle: Stir hot liquids like soups and sauces with a food-safe paddle filled with frozen water.
• Shallow containers: Move food into smaller, shallow pans so heat escapes faster than it would from a deep pot.
• Ice as an ingredient: For soups and stews, use some of the recipe water as ice added at the end of cooking.
• Blast chiller: Use a blast chiller, which is designed to cool large amounts of food rapidly in a commercial kitchen.

A cook can speed up the cooling process by using more than one of these methods at once, for example moving food into shallow pans and then placing those pans in an ice bath.

How Can a Cook Speed Up the Cooling Process?

A cook can speed up cooling by making the food easier to cool rather than waiting on the refrigerator to do the work. Cut large items like roasts into smaller portions, divide big batches into shallow pans, stir liquids with an ice paddle, and use an ice water bath. Leaving hot food out on the counter, or placing a large covered container of hot food directly into the cooler, are not safe methods, because the food cools too slowly and can raise the temperature of everything around it in the walk-in.

How Do You Know When Food Has Cooled Safely?

The only reliable way to confirm safe cooling is to check the internal temperature with a calibrated thermometer at each stage, not to guess by look or feel. Verify that food has reached 70°F within two hours and 41°F within six hours total. Keeping a record of these checks is part of a solid food safety program, and it is far easier with continuous monitoring than with manual logging. To keep your coolers and walk-ins holding at safe temperatures around the clock, see our food service temperature monitoring solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Within how many hours must cooked TCS food be cooled from 135 to 70°F?

Cooked TCS food must be cooled from 135°F to 70°F within two hours. It then has an additional four hours to reach 41°F or lower, for a total cooling time of no more than six hours.

What temperature range must food move through quickly when cooling?

Food must move quickly through the temperature danger zone, which is 41°F to 135°F. Bacteria grow fastest in this range, so the goal is to pass through it as fast as possible, with the most urgency on getting below 70°F.

What are the approved methods for cooling food?

Approved methods include ice water baths, ice paddles, shallow containers, adding ice as an ingredient, and blast chillers. These can be combined to cool food faster. Leaving food at room temperature or putting large covered containers of hot food directly in the cooler are not safe methods.

What should you do if food does not cool in time?

If food has not reached 70°F within the first two hours, reheat it to 165°F and start the cooling process again, or discard it. Food that has spent too long in the danger zone is not safe to serve.