Cooking, Cooling & Reheating Records

Why Cooking Temperature Records Matter

Cooking is your main defence against harmful bacteria in food. When food reaches the correct core temperature, dangerous pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, and Listeria are destroyed.

The Temperature Danger Zone

Bacteria thrive between 5°C and 63°C. When you cook food, you're moving it through this danger zone quickly and heating it to a temperature where bacteria are killed. Recording the core temperature proves this critical step was completed correctly.

Why Core Temperature?

The outside of food heats up faster than the inside. A chicken breast might look perfectly cooked on the outside while the centre is still at a dangerous temperature. The core temperature - measured at the thickest part of the food - is the only reliable indicator that the entire piece is safe.

Three Critical Stages

• Cooking: Killing bacteria by heating to a safe core temperature
• Cooling: Rapidly moving food through the danger zone and into safe refrigeration
• Reheating: Bringing previously cooked food back to a safe temperature before serving

Food Safety Regulations

The FSAI and EU food safety regulations set clear temperature requirements for cooking, cooling, and reheating food. These aren't suggestions - they're legal requirements.

Required Temperatures

The 2-Hour Cooling Rule

Important Notes

• 75°C is the minimum - some foods (like poultry) benefit from higher temperatures
• Measure at the thickest part - the core temperature is what matters
• Wait for the reading to stabilise - give your probe thermometer a few seconds to give an accurate reading
• One reheat only - food should only be reheated once; after that, it must be discarded

Understanding the SC3 Form

The SC3 form has a three-tab interface that guides you through each stage of the cooking process. You don't have to use all three tabs - only the stages that apply to your food.

The Three Tabs

When to Use Each Tab

Recording Cooking (Cook Tab)

The Cook tab is always required and captures the initial cooking of your food.

Starting a New Record

1. Navigate to Forms → New Form → SC3

   Select "SC3 – Cooking/Cooling/Reheating Records" from the form list.

2. Date and time are auto-filled

   These are set to the current date and time when you open the form.

3. Select your food item

   Start typing to search your food items list, or enter the name manually.

Required Fields

• Date: When the food was cooked (auto-filled with today)
• Food Item: What you cooked (with autocomplete from your food items list)
• Time Finished Cooking: When cooking was completed (auto-filled with current time)
• Cooking Core Temp: The temperature at the thickest part of the food
• Signed By: Who performed the cooking (dropdown of team members)
• Signature: Digital signature to confirm the record

Entering the Temperature

1. Insert your probe thermometer

   Place the probe at the thickest part of the food, away from bone.

2. Wait for the reading to stabilise

   Give it a few seconds until the temperature stops changing.

3. Enter the temperature in the form

   Type the value or use a Bluetooth probe to capture automatically.

Temperature Validation

If you enter a temperature below 75°C, SmartChef will:

• Display a red warning below the temperature field
• Show a warning popup explaining the food may not be safe
• Log the incident for your audit trail

Recording Cooling (Chill Tab)

The Chill tab is used when you're cooling cooked food for later use. This is optional - only complete it if you're storing the food rather than serving immediately.

When to Use the Chill Tab

• Batch cooking soups, stews, or sauces for later service
• Preparing food in advance for events
• Cooling cooked rice, pasta, or grains for cold dishes
• Any cooked food that won't be served within 2 hours

Cooling Fields

• Date Cooled: When the cooling process started
• Cooling Start Time: When you placed the food in refrigeration
• Cooling Finish Time: When the food reached target temperature
• Cooling Core Temp: The final temperature of the food (should be 5°C or below)
• Signed By: Who managed the cooling process
• Comments: Any notes about the cooling (optional)

The 2-Hour Rule

SmartChef monitors the time between cooking completion and cooling start. If more than 2 hours have passed, you'll see a warning:

Best Practices for Cooling

• Divide large batches into smaller portions for faster cooling
• Use shallow containers to increase surface area
• Don't put hot food directly in the fridge - let it cool to below 60°C first
• Use a blast chiller if available for rapid cooling
• Leave lids off or ajar until food reaches fridge temperature

Recording Reheating (Reheat Tab)

The Reheat tab is used when serving previously cooked and cooled food. The food must be reheated to a safe core temperature before service.

When to Use the Reheat Tab

• Serving soup or stew that was batch-cooked earlier
• Warming pre-cooked proteins before service
• Any previously cooked food being served hot

Reheating Fields

• Date Reheated: When the reheating occurred
• Reheating Core Temp: The temperature at the thickest part (must be 70°C or above)
• Signed By: Who performed the reheating

Temperature Requirement

Reheated food must reach a core temperature of at least 70°C. This is slightly lower than the initial cooking requirement because the food was already cooked to 75°C previously.

Critical Rules for Reheating

• Reheat thoroughly - the core must reach 70°C, not just the surface
• Reheat rapidly - minimise time in the danger zone
• Serve immediately - once reheated, serve within 2 hours
• Never re-cool - discard any uneaten reheated food

Using Bluetooth Probes

SmartChef supports Bluetooth thermometers for automatic temperature capture, making it faster and more accurate to record cooking temperatures.

How It Works

1. Connect your probe

   Look for the Bluetooth status indicator at the top of the form. Tap "Pair Probe" or "Connect Probe".

2. Navigate to the correct tab

   Make sure you're on the tab (Cook, Chill, or Reheat) where you want to record the temperature.

3. Insert the probe and press the button

   When your probe shows a stable reading, press the capture button on the device.

4. Temperature auto-fills

   The reading is automatically entered into the temperature field for the current tab.

Supported Thermometers

SmartChef works with ETI Therma and BlueTherm series Bluetooth thermometers.

Completing Records

Signing Each Section

Each tab you use requires its own signature. This creates accountability - the person who cooked signs the Cook tab, the person who cooled signs the Chill tab, and so on.

1. Select your name

   Choose from the "Signed By" dropdown (shows your team members).

2. Draw your signature

   Use your finger (touch devices) or mouse to sign in the signature box.

3. Clear if needed

   Tap "Clear" to start again if you make a mistake.

Saving the Record

1. Review all tabs you've used

   Check that all required fields are complete in each tab.

2. Click "Save Record"

   The button is at the bottom of the form (always visible).

3. Fix any errors

   If validation fails, the form will switch to the first tab with errors and highlight the problem fields.

Completing Records Later

Often you'll cook food, record it, and then need to add cooling data later. SmartChef makes this easy:

1. Open a new SC3 form

   Start as if creating a new record.

2. Click "Complete a Previous Record"

   You'll see a list of incomplete records from the past 7 days.

3. Select the record to complete

   The record opens with the cooking data already filled in.

4. Add cooling or reheating data

   Fill in the Chill or Reheat tab as needed, sign, and save.

Troubleshooting

Related Guides

Now that you understand cooking records, explore these related guides: