Cold Food Storage Chart (2024)

FAQs

What are the rules for storing cold food cold? ›

Storing Cold Food Safety Tips

The items stored in your cooler or refrigerator should be produce, dairy products, ready-to-eat foods, meats, condiments, etc. Keep your cooler at 35 – 38 degrees to keep foods at 41 degrees or below. Be aware to not overstock your cooler, as it may prevent air flow.

Keep the refrigerator temperature at or below 40° F (4° C). The freezer temperature should be 0° F (-18° C). Check temperatures periodically.

Placement of Foods

The temperature in a refrigerator should be 40 °F or below throughout the unit, so that any place is safe for storage of any food. Raw meat, poultry, and seafood should be in a sealed container or wrapped securely to prevent raw juices from contaminating other foods.

Cold storage is the process of storing perishable food items at a low temperature to maintain food safety and improve food preservation. Foods that require cold storage include meat, cheese, fruits, vegetables, eggs, fish and dairy products such as ice cream.

Any cold food held without refrigeration is safe for up to 6 hours, starting from the time it was removed from refrigeration at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and below. Check the temperature of cold foods every 2 hours and discard any cold food that reaches a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

If for example, if left out on tableat room temperature, gel ice packs will last only about 3-4 hours at best. When placed in a well-insulated and packed cooler, we have seen gel packs that last up to 6 days (144 hours). Generally, though food will remain cold for 24-36 hours in a standard cooler.

Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." Never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours.

Refrigerated cold storage facilities (sometimes called “refrigerated warehouses“) are designed to preserve the integrity and shelf life of products that don't need to be frozen. They are typically kept between 33° and 55° F and store products such as fruits and vegetables.

Guidelines: Cold foods must be stored at 41ºF or below. For short-term cold storage, check temperatures every 2 hours. If food is above 41ºF for 4 or more hours, it must be discarded.

Storage. Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours (1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F). Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 40 °F or below and the freezer at 0 °F or below.

What is the two hour four hour rule for food storage? ›

Food held between 5oC and 60oC for less than 2 hours can be used, sold or put back in the refrigerator to use later. Food held between 5oC and 60oC for 2-4 hours can still be used or sold, but can't be put back in the fridge. Food held between 5oC and 60oC for 4 hours or more must be thrown away.

Keep high-risk food at 5 °C or below or above 60 °C to avoid the temperature danger zone and food poisoning. Store raw foods below cooked foods. Store food in suitable, covered containers. Avoid refreezing thawed foods.

Milk products: Similar to milk, yoghurt, sour cream and cheese are also best left out of the freezer. The water content will expand and spoil them, leaving behind unhealthy and non-tasty yoghurt or cheese. Fried Foods: Be it French fries or mozzarella sticks, leaving them in the freezer can leave them soft and doughy.

Chilled food must be kept at 8°C or below, except for certain exceptions. When you display cold food, e.g. on a buffet, you should use suitable chilled display equipment to keep it at 8°C or below.

Cold holding food

▪ Maintain cold food at 41°F or below. ▪ Frozen food must remain frozen.

Germs that can cause foodborne illness grow very quickly on foods held at temperatures in the “Danger Zone”. Foods kept in cold holding must stay at or below 41°F at all times. Foods that fall into the “Danger Zone” must be thrown away. If the temperature of food falls into the “Danger Zone”, throw away the food.

To maintain and guarantee the cold chain, it is necessary to: Hermetically package the food products. Store food products in specific cold rooms. Keep food products at a temperature < -18°C in all processes.

Ice Baths. Ice baths are a great option for keeping cold items cold at a party. To prepare an ice bath, fill a pan or bowl with ice and place a container with food on top so it is resting on the ice. It is important to monitor the ice bath by draining off the water as ice melts and replacing the ice as needed.