Library · Cooling · Federal model code
How long can cooked food sit out before it has to be refrigerated?
Verified answer
Cooling happens in two stages: 135°F to 70°F within two hours, then 70°F to 41°F within four more, six hours total. The first stage controls — if the food has not reached 70°F in two hours, reheat to 165°F and restart the cooling, or discard. Room-temperature cooling will not meet stage one for most dense foods. Use shallow pans, ice paddles, ice baths, or a blast chiller, and record temperatures at both checkpoints.
Commonly wrong
A single flat window of about two hours at room temperature, treating cooling as one step.
Citation and review
| Authority | FDA Food Code 3-501.14(A) |
|---|---|
| Edition | 2022 |
| Jurisdiction | Federal model code |
| Finding type | Non-conformance |
| Severity | Safety-critical |
| Contributor credential | CP-FS |
| Reviewed | Review pending |