Reheat Only Records
Record bought-in chilled and frozen food that you reheat straight from the pack, with the label, the use by date and the core temperature it reached.
What this record is for
Many kitchens buy in food that is already made: pies, soups, sauces, ready meals, frozen products that go straight into the oven or fryer. You don't cook it from raw and you don't cool it for later. You heat it and serve it.
This record is for exactly that. It shows which product you reheated, where it came from, that it was within its use by date, and that it reached a safe core temperature before it was served.
Who needs to use it?
Any food business that serves bought-in food it reheats on site. This includes:
- Cafés and delis reheating bought-in soups, pies, quiches and hot counter items
- Pubs and bars serving ready-made dishes heated to order
- Nursing homes and crèches using bought-in chilled or frozen meals
- Food trucks and kiosks cooking frozen products straight from frozen
- Restaurants that buy in some sauces, sides or desserts ready-made
If you bought it in and you are heating it to serve, use Reheat Only Records. If you cooked it yourself and cooled it for later, use Cooking, Cooling & Reheating Records, which follow the food through all three stages.
How a record is made
1. Photograph the label
SmartChef reads the product name, use by date, batch code and quantity
Or type them in yourself. The photo is kept with the record
2. Check the use by date
A clear warning appears if the product is past its use by date
Caught before the food is served, not afterwards
3. Reheat and probe
Record the core temperature: 70°C or above
Type it in or send it from a Bluetooth probe
4. Sign off
The staff member selects their name and signs
Date and time are filled in automatically
What does this record capture?
- Product name
- Supplier (optional)
- Use by date
- Batch code
- Quantity
- Up to four label photos
- Date and time
- Core temperature reached
- Comments and any action taken
- Staff member
- Signature
When something isn't right
SmartChef checks each record as it is filled in and warns your team straight away if:
- The core temperature is below 70°C
- The product is past its use by date
In both cases the warning asks for the action taken to be written into the record, such as continuing to reheat and probing again, or discarding the product. The record is flagged in red so a manager can see it in reports and at supervisor sign-off.
Because the label photo is stored with the record, you can show exactly which product and batch was served on any day, without keeping the packaging.
Part of your daily records
Reheat Only Records sit alongside the rest of your HACCP records. They appear in your reports, can be exported as a PDF, are included in supervisor sign-off, and are summarised in the daily report email.
Reheating Temperature
Probe the thickest part of the food, and follow the manufacturer's instructions on the pack.
Try SmartChef
See how quickly a bought-in product can be recorded with a photo of its label.
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