Most temperature logs fail the same way. Every box is filled in, every number is in range, and the handwriting is identical for the whole week, because it was all written at once on Friday. An inspector can spot that log from across the room.
This page is the reference most kitchens actually need: what to measure, the limits commonly used, how often to check, and what has to happen when a reading is out. Keep it next to the walk-in, or turn it into the log your team fills in.
The ranges, in one table
| What you measure | Common limit (UK guidance) | Common limit (US Food Code) | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fridges and walk-in chillers | 8 °C legal maximum; aim for 5 °C or below | 41 °F (5 °C) or below | Opening, mid-day, close |
| Freezers | -18 °C or colder | 0 °F (-18 °C) or colder | Opening and close |
| Hot holding (bain-marie, hot cabinet) | 63 °C or above | 135 °F (57 °C) or above | Every 2 hours while food is held |
| Cooking, core temperature | 75 °C, or an equivalent time and temperature | 165 °F (74 °C) for poultry; other foods vary | Each batch of high-risk food |
| Reheating | 75 °C or above (82 °C in Scotland) | 165 °F (74 °C) for hot holding | Each reheat |
| Cooling cooked food | Cool as fast as possible and chill within 90 minutes is a common target | 135 to 70 °F within 2 hours, then to 41 °F within 4 more | Each batch cooled |
| Chilled deliveries | 8 °C maximum; many kitchens refuse above 5 °C | 41 °F (5 °C) or below for most foods | Every delivery |
| Frozen deliveries | -15 °C or colder is a common acceptance limit | Frozen solid, no signs of thawing | Every delivery |
These are commonly cited reference limits from UK Food Standards Agency guidance and the US FDA Food Code. Rules differ by country, region and food, and your own food safety plan may set tighter limits. Use your local rules where they differ.
Three logs an inspector does not believe
A fridge that reads exactly 3 °C at 7 am, noon and 9 pm for a week was not read. Real equipment drifts a little after deliveries and busy periods. A log with no movement at all is a log written from memory.
A chiller at 9 °C with no note is worse than no log at all: it proves you knew and did nothing. The log has to show what happened to the food and the fridge next.
07:00, 12:00, 21:00, every day. Nobody checks at exactly the same minute every day. A real record has the time the reading was actually taken.
When a reading is out: the four things that must follow
The log matters less than what happens after a bad reading. Write the follow-up into the procedure so nobody has to decide on the spot.
Paper, app or sensors?
Paper costs nothing and needs no training, but it is easy to fill in later and nobody outside the kitchen sees it until something has already gone wrong.
A checklist app records the reading with the person's name and the actual time, checks it against the limit as it is entered, and can start the follow-up on the spot. In RakuOps a reading outside its range opens a fix for that store straight away, and head office sees every store's log in one place instead of collecting binders.
Wireless sensors log continuously and catch overnight failures that no person would. They are worth it for large walk-ins and high-value stock. They do not replace the person who checks the door seal, rotates the stock and probes the food itself, so most kitchens end up with both.
A log your team can start today
Our free fridge and freezer temperature log has the chilled and frozen units, the weekly probe check in iced water, and the follow-up written in. Pair it with the daily food safety check for hot holding and dates, and the delivery receiving checklist for temperatures at the door. If you are comparing tools for a whole group, our guide to checklist and SOP software for restaurants covers what to look for.