Reheating temperature log: the 165°F rule and how to record it
A reheating temperature log records that food you cooked and cooled earlier was brought back to 165°F within 2 hours before it went into hot holding, as the FDA Food Code requires. Each row needs the food, the start time, the temperature reached, the time it got there, who took it and what you did if it fell short. This page gives the limits and their exceptions, the right equipment, a filled-in sheet and the response when a batch does not make it.
If you want a blank sheet to print, the free sheets are on the logs page. Below is how to use one so the entries stand up when an inspector reads them.
What the rule is
The Food Code says cooked, cooled TCS food (time/temperature control for safety food) that is reheated for hot holding must reach 165°F for 15 seconds, and must get there within 2 hours [1]. The point of the 2-hour limit is the same as for cooling: the longer food sits between 41°F and 135°F, the more bacteria grow, and slow reheating on a low flame is the classic way a kitchen gets it wrong.
| Situation | Reheat to | Within |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked, cooled in-house, reheated for hot holding (soup, chili, rice, braise) | 165°F for 15 seconds | 2 hours |
| Commercially processed, ready-to-eat food from an unopened, intact package (canned soup, sealed cooked product) | 135°F | No fixed time; do it promptly |
| Reheated in a microwave for hot holding | 165°F, then stand 2 minutes | 2 hours |
| Reheated for immediate service to one customer | Any temperature the customer wants | Serve right away |
The last row surprises people. A plate of last night's pasta warmed to order and handed over right away does not have to reach 165°F; food heated for later is what the rule covers [1]. Most kitchens still use 165°F for everything because it is one number staff can remember. Check your local rule, since some health departments are stricter.
What counts as reheating
Reheating means any cooked food that went below 135°F and is being brought back up to be held hot or served. It covers the pot of soup you made yesterday, the rice from the morning cook that you now want in a steam table, the braise that spent two days in the walk-in and the pulled pork from a catering job. It does not cover food that was cooked and has stayed above 135°F the whole time. That food is in hot holding, which is a separate log: see hot holding temperature.
It also does not mean the first cook. If food goes from raw to cooked, the limit is the cooking temperature for that food, 165°F for poultry and 155°F for ground meat, for example [1]. Cooking, then cooling, then reheating is three separate steps and each has its own record. The cooling side is in the cooling log guide.
What equipment to use
The Food Code is firm on one point: do not use hot-holding equipment to reheat. Steam tables, bain-maries, hot boxes and chafing dishes are designed to keep hot food hot, not to move cold food through the danger zone [1]. Use a stovetop, oven, steamer, combi oven, kettle or microwave to reheat, then move the food to the holding unit.
- Stovetop, kettle or steam jacket. Best for soups and sauces. Stir often. Bring to a simmer; a full simmer is usually well over 165°F in the middle but you still probe it.
- Oven or combi. Good for braises and casseroles. Use a shallow, covered pan and set the oven high enough to finish inside the 2 hours. A pan 4 inches deep at 250°F can easily miss it.
- Microwave. Cover, rotate or stir halfway, and let it stand for 2 minutes after so the heat evens out. The Food Code names these steps for the 165°F target [1]. Probe in several spots because microwaves leave cold areas.
- Steamer. Fast for rice, vegetables and dumplings.
Whatever you use, take the temperature in the thickest or coldest part, not at the edge of the pan. For a pot, stir and probe the middle; for a tray, probe the center and a corner.
How to time a reheat
The 2-hour limit starts when the food begins to be reheated, so write the start time on the row. Two things shorten the time:
- Portion before reheating. A 12-quart pot of chili heated from 41°F on a burner can take over 90 minutes. Four 3-quart pans in a hot oven or a steam kettle finish far sooner. Only take out what you will use in a service, because food that has been reheated once and then cooled again is harder to keep safe.
- Start from the walk-in, not from the counter. Letting food sit out to take the chill off uses part of the 2 hours and the danger zone at the same time.
Some kitchens add a 30-minute check on large pots. If a thick stew is still at 100°F after half an hour, you know to move it to smaller pans or higher heat before time runs out.
What a filled-in reheating log looks like
Keep the columns short enough that a cook can fill them in with a probe in one hand. Four rows from a Wednesday:
| Food | Start | Method | Reached 165°F | Initials | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken soup, 3 qt, from walk-in (38°F) | 10:30 a.m. | Stovetop, stirred | 11:05 a.m., 171°F | MR | None; moved to steam table at 11:10 |
| Cooked rice, 1 hotel pan, 2 in. | 10:40 a.m. | Steamer | 11:00 a.m., 168°F | JT | None |
| Beef chili, 6 qt in 2 pans | 10:45 a.m. | Oven 325°F, covered | 12:20 p.m., 166°F | DK | Took 95 minutes; within 2 hours. Next time start 20 minutes earlier. |
| Braised short rib, 4 portions | 11:00 a.m. | Oven, covered | 1:00 p.m., 148°F | DK | Failed at 2 hours. Discarded 1:05 p.m. Pan was too deep; use 2 in. pans. |
The last row is the one that makes the sheet believable. A failure written down with its action shows the control works.
When food does not make it
If the food has not reached 165°F by the 2-hour mark, it has failed, however close it is. Decide quickly, because the food is still in the danger zone while you decide.
- Discard it. This is the simplest and the safest choice, and the one a Food Code corrective action for a missed limit usually ends with.
- Do not serve it, hold it hot "to be safe" or put it back in the walk-in to try again tomorrow.
- Find the cause. Pan too deep? Burner too low? Lid on a pot that needed stirring? A thermometer that is off? (Check it against ice water; see the thermometer calibration log guide.)
- Write it on the row: the time, the food, the reading, what you did and what changes next time.
If the food reached 165°F only at the 2 hours and 10 minutes mark, it is still a miss. A limit with an "almost" is not a limit.
Leftovers: how many times can food be reheated?
The Food Code does not set a number of times food may be reheated, but each cycle through the danger zone adds risk, and some local codes say once only. A good house rule: reheat only what you need for the next service, once, to 165°F, and discard what comes back unsold. Also watch the date mark. Ready-to-eat TCS food held at 41°F can be kept for 7 days from the day it was prepared or opened, counting that day as day 1 [1]. A pot of soup on day 7 should not be reheated for day 8.
Date every container when it goes into the cooler, and write the reheat on the log by container so you can see how many cycles a batch has had.
Where reheating sits in a HACCP plan
In most restaurant HACCP plans reheating is a control point. The row reads like this: hazard, bacteria that survived or grew during cooling; critical limit, 165°F within 2 hours; monitoring, probe the center of each batch and write the time and temperature; corrective action, continue heating if still inside 2 hours, otherwise discard; verification, the manager reviews the log and the thermometer is calibrated. The critical control points guide shows this row beside cooking, holding and cooling. If you are writing your first plan, the HACCP plan for a restaurant guide walks all seven steps.
Keep the log with the rest of your temperature records, usually at least 90 days and often a year [1]. The sheet that holds these records is covered in the temperature log sheet guide.
Common mistakes
- Reheating in the steam table. It is a holding unit. It heats too slowly.
- Probing the edge. The edge is the hottest part of the pan. Probe the center.
- Not writing the start time. Without it the 2-hour limit cannot be shown.
- Reheating the whole batch for one order. That takes the rest through the danger zone for no reason.
- Letting cold food sit out first. It starts the clock and gives bacteria a head start.
- Treating a blank row as a pass. If you reheated it, it needs a row.
Questions
What temperature should reheated food reach?
165°F for 15 seconds, within 2 hours, when it will be held hot. Packaged ready-to-eat food from an intact container only needs 135°F [1].
Do I need a log to reheat leftovers?
If you reheat cooked food for hot holding, yes, a short one. Food reheated to order for immediate service is not covered by the 165°F rule.
Can I reheat food in a steam table?
No. Steam tables hold hot food hot. Reheat on a stove, oven, steamer or microwave first.
How long does reheating take?
Up to 2 hours is the limit. Small shallow portions usually take 20 to 40 minutes.
How many times can I reheat food?
No federal number, but once is the common house rule, and some local codes require it. Date-mark and discard after 7 days.
What about a microwave?
Yes, with a cover, a stir or rotation halfway and a 2-minute stand, reaching 165°F in several spots.
Where do I get a reheating log?
Use the columns above, or take the free sheets from our logs page. More in our food safety guides.
Sources
- FDA Food Code 2022 (3-403.11 reheating for hot holding, 3-501.17 date marking), U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Leftovers and food safety, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
Related: all food safety guides.