Reheated food should be served immediately after it reaches the correct internal temperature. This ensures the food is safe to eat and maintains its quality. The correct reheating temperature is a minimum of 75°C in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and 82°C in Scotland.
Common misunderstanding: Reheated food can sit out for a while before serving.
Leaving reheated food out can lead to a drop in temperature, allowing harmful bacteria to multiply. Serve it right away to keep it safe.
Common misunderstanding: It’s safe to serve reheated food at any temperature as long as it’s hot.
Food needs to reach a specific temperature to ensure all bacteria are killed. Always use a food thermometer to check that it has reached at least 75°C or 82°C depending on your location.
Yes, but only if it is transferred immediately into pre-heated hot holding equipment after reaching the correct temperature. This equipment should keep the food at a safe temperature until it is served.
Common misunderstanding: Any hot holding equipment can be used to keep reheated food safe.
Only use equipment specifically designed for hot holding. Other types might not maintain the necessary temperature, risking food safety.
Common misunderstanding: Reheated food can be held indefinitely in hot holding equipment.
Even in hot holding equipment, don’t keep reheated food for too long. Follow your local food safety guidelines to know how long you can hold food safely.
If food cannot be served immediately, it must be kept in pre-heated hot holding equipment to maintain the correct temperature. If this isn’t possible, the food should be served immediately or discarded to prevent the risk of foodborne illness.
Common misunderstanding: Food that cools down after reheating can be reheated again.
Food must never be reheated more than once. Reheating multiple times can increase the risk of food poisoning.
Common misunderstanding: It’s okay to leave food out until ready to serve once it’s been reheated.
Leaving reheated food out can allow it to enter the danger zone between 5-63°C, where bacteria can multiply quickly. Always keep it in hot holding equipment if not serving immediately.
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our founder Liam Jones, click to email Liam directly, he reads every email.
Food should only be reheated once to ensure it remains safe to eat and to reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses.
To ensure food safety, it's important to monitor and record the temperatures of reheated foods before serving.
To reheat food safely, it's crucial to use equipment that's specifically designed for this purpose such as microwave ovens, stovetops, or conventional ovens.
To ensure food safety, reheated foods must reach a core temperature that is high enough to effectively kill harmful bacteria.
If you discover any faults with your reheating equipment, promptly cease using it. To ensure food safety, either repair or replace the equipment.
If reheated food does not reach the required safe temperature, continue cooking it until it reaches at least 75°C in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and 82°C in Scotland.
Reheating food to the proper temperature is vital to destroy harmful bacteria and make the food safe to eat.
If staff do not follow reheating procedures, take immediate corrective actions to ensure food safety.