What temperature should food be cooked to?

FSA guidance is to cook food until it is steaming hot in the centre. Its examples of safe time and temperature combinations are 80°C for at least 6 seconds, 75°C for at least 30 seconds, 70°C for at least 2 minutes, 65°C for at least 10 minutes and 60°C for at least 45 minutes (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Cooking safely").

What temperature should reheated food reach?

FSA guidance is that reheating means cooking again, not just warming up: reheat food thoroughly until it reaches a safe temperature in the centre, the same as for cooking, and only reheat once. Do not put food into hot holding without reheating it properly first (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Reheating"; Cooking your food).

Where should I put the probe?

FSA guidance is to insert a disinfected probe so the tip is in the centre of the food, or the thickest part, and to check a large dish or batch in several places (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Prove it" and "Cooking safely").

How do I check my probe thermometer is working?

FSA guidance is to put a digital probe in iced water, where it should read between −1°C and 1°C, and in boiling water, where it should read between 99°C and 101°C. If it reads outside that, replace it or send it back to be calibrated. Check it as often as the maker says, or regularly, for example once a month (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Prove it").

What if a dish has not reached a safe temperature?

FSA guidance is to cook it for longer, or speed up the cooking by dividing the food into smaller amounts or using different equipment, and to write down what went wrong and what you did about it (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Cooking safely"). The sheet's last column is for that.

Free tool · Cooking and reheating

Free cooking and reheating temperature log sheet

FSA guidance is to cook or reheat food until it is steaming hot in the centre, checked with a clean, disinfected probe. Examples of safe combinations include 75°C for at least 30 seconds and 70°C for at least 2 minutes, and you should reheat only once (Safer food, better business for caterers; Cooking your food). This free tool makes an A4 record sheet for the month: name the dishes you probe, and staff write the time, the core temperature and their initials.

Make your sheet Download a blank sheet (PDF)

Free, with no sign-up and no email. The blank sheet is an A4 PDF, 47 KB. Last reviewed: 13 October 2026.

Make your sheet

A printable A4 food temperature record sheet for the month: the dishes you cook or reheat most days, each with a time and a core temperature, initials and an action column.

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Download a blank sheet (PDF)

A4: 31 days, three dishes to name, two checks a day with a time and a reading for each dish, initials and an action column.

Preview

What the sheet will look like on A4. It changes as you type.

How to use the log sheet maker

The check type is set to "Cooking and reheating". You can switch to another kind of sheet.
Type your café's name and the site, if you want them on the sheet, and pick the month.
Name the dishes you cook or reheat most days, such as "Chicken" or "Soup of the day". Up to five fit on one sheet.
Choose how many checks a day for each dish, up to three. Each dish gets its own time and reading.
Press "Print or save as PDF" and keep the sheet by the cooker with a clean, disinfected probe.
Mark a reheated reading with an R.

The temperatures on the sheet

The sheet prints each unit's limit under its name and the figures below in its legend. Where a figure is the law it says so, and where it is FSA guidance it says that too.

Steaming hot in the centre: FSA guidance for cooking and reheating, checked with a disinfected probe (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Cooking safely"; Cooking your food).
75°C for 30 seconds: One of the FSA's examples of a safe time and temperature combination. Others are 70°C for at least 2 minutes and 80°C for at least 6 seconds (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Cooking safely").
Reheat once: FSA guidance: reheating means cooking again, not just warming up, and you should only reheat once (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Reheating").

Questions café owners ask

What temperature should food be cooked to?: FSA guidance is to cook food until it is steaming hot in the centre. Its examples of safe time and temperature combinations are 80°C for at least 6 seconds, 75°C for at least 30 seconds, 70°C for at least 2 minutes, 65°C for at least 10 minutes and 60°C for at least 45 minutes (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Cooking safely").
What temperature should reheated food reach?: FSA guidance is that reheating means cooking again, not just warming up: reheat food thoroughly until it reaches a safe temperature in the centre, the same as for cooking, and only reheat once. Do not put food into hot holding without reheating it properly first (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Reheating"; Cooking your food).
Where should I put the probe?: FSA guidance is to insert a disinfected probe so the tip is in the centre of the food, or the thickest part, and to check a large dish or batch in several places (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Prove it" and "Cooking safely").
How do I check my probe thermometer is working?: FSA guidance is to put a digital probe in iced water, where it should read between −1°C and 1°C, and in boiling water, where it should read between 99°C and 101°C. If it reads outside that, replace it or send it back to be calibrated. Check it as often as the maker says, or regularly, for example once a month (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Prove it").
What if a dish has not reached a safe temperature?: FSA guidance is to cook it for longer, or speed up the cooking by dividing the food into smaller amounts or using different equipment, and to write down what went wrong and what you did about it (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Cooking safely"). The sheet's last column is for that.

Sources

Every source below was read on 13 October 2026.

Safer food, better business for caterers Food Standards Agency, on GOV.UK
Cooking your food Food Standards Agency, on GOV.UK

Last reviewed: 13 October 2026. For cafés in England and Wales.

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managero records cooking and reheating probes on a phone, with a name and a time against every reading, and keeps the history for the inspector export. £18.99 excl VAT a month for your first site, with managero HR & Safety included.

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