How to Reheat Food Safely

To reheat potentially hazardous food safely, heat it rapidly to 60°C or hotter — generally within two hours — using a stove, oven or microwave, not a bain-marie or pie warmer. Many operators push the core past 75°C to build in a safety margin. Reheat food only once, check it with a probe thermometer, then serve it, hot-hold it at 60°C or above, or discard it. Key takeaways: Reheat potentially hazardous food rapidly to 60°C or hotter, generally within two hours, so it spends minimal time in the 5°C-60°C temperature danger zone.. 60°C is the minimum for reheating-to-hot-hold under the Food Standards Code; many operators target a ~75°C core temperature to build in a safety margin against pathogens.. Reheat using a stove, oven or microwave — not a bain-marie, pie warmer or heat lamp, which are designed to hold hot food, not heat it.. Reheat food only once. Repeated cooling and reheating multiplies the risk, so portion leftovers before reheating so you only warm what you need.. Verify the temperature with a clean, calibrated probe thermometer rather than relying on how hot the food looks or feels.. Reheating temperatures and times: Benchmark, What it means. 60°C or hotter — Minimum reheat-to-hot-hold temperature under the Food Standards Code. ~75°C core — Common best-practice target that builds in a safety margin. 5°C to 60°C — The temperature danger zone where bacteria multiply fastest. Within 2 hours — Aim to reach 60°C within two hours of starting to reheat. Once only — Reheat food only once, then serve, hot-hold at 60°C or above, or discard. The temperature that matters: 60°C, and why many aim for 75°C Under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (Standard 3.2.2), potentially hazardous food that is reheated to be held hot must be heated rapidly to 60°C or hotter. This is around the temperature at which the growth of most food-poisoning bacteria stops, so it is the benchmark for hot-holding, display and service. This reheating rule applies when you intend to hold the food hot — if you reheat food and serve it straight to a customer, the hot-holding rule does not apply, though heating it thoroughly is still good practice. So where does 75°C come from? It is not a Food Standards Code reheating figure — it is a widely used best-practice target. Heating the coldest part of the food (the core) to around 75°C gives you a comfortable margin above 60°C, helps destroy bacteria that may have multiplied during storage, and accounts for probe placement and thermometer error. Aiming for 75°C means that even if your reading is slightly off, you are almost certainly above the 60°C minimum. For high-risk foods like poultry, minced meats and rice dishes, targeting a higher core temperature is sensible. Requirements and enforcement can vary, so confirm the specifics with your state or territory food regulator and local council. 60°C or hotter: the minimum reheat-to-hot-hold temperature in the Food Standards Code.. ~75°C core: a common best-practice target that builds in a safety margin.. 5°C to 60°C: the temperature danger zone where bacteria multiply fastest — move food through it quickly.. Reheat fast: beat the two-hour danger-zone window Speed is as important as the final temperature. FSANZ guidance is to reheat potentially hazardous food to 60°C or hotter, ideally in two hours or less. The longer food lingers in the 5°C-60°C danger zone, the more time bacteria have to multiply and, in some cases, produce toxins that reheating cannot destroy. Start with food that has been cooled and stored correctly. Under the Food Standards Code, cooked food generally needs to be cooled from 60°C to 21°C within two hours, and from 21°C to 5°C within a further four hours (unless you can show another system is safe). When you reheat, work in small or shallow batches so heat penetrates quickly and evenly, and stir liquids and casseroles part-way through. If food has not reached 60°C after a reasonable time, keep heating — do not put lukewarm food into hot-holding equipment and hope it catches up, because it usually will not. Aim to hit 60°C within two hours of starting to reheat.. Reheat in shallow, portioned batches rather than one large mass.. Stir and rotate food so cold spots reach temperature too.. Never use hot-holding gear to finish an under-heated batch.. Choose the right method (and the wrong ones to avoid) Use equipment designed to heat food quickly: a stovetop, a conventional or combi oven, or a microwave. These raise the core temperature fast enough to clear the danger zone within the target window. The common mistake is using hot-holding equipment to do the reheating. FSANZ specifically warns against using bain-maries, pie warmers and similar equipment to reheat food, because they are designed only to keep already-hot food at 60°C — they are generally too slow and too gentle to safely reheat cold food, which can sit in the danger zone for hours. The correct sequence is: reheat rapidly on the stove, in the oven or in the microwave to at least 60°C (ideally around 75°C core), then transfer the food into the bain-marie or hot cabinet to hold it at 60°C or above for service. Stovetop: fast for sauces, soups and stir-fries; stir constantly.. Oven / combi oven: good for trays and larger cuts; check the thickest point.. Microwave: quick for single portions, but stir and stand to even out hot and cold spots.. Bain-marie / pie warmer / heat lamp: for HOLDING only — never for initial reheating.. Reheat once, then commit FSANZ advises reheating potentially hazardous food only once so it does not go through multiple warming periods. Each cool-reheat cycle sends the food back through the danger zone and gives surviving bacteria another chance to grow, so repeated reheating compounds the risk. The practical fix is portioning. Before you store leftovers, divide them into serving-sized amounts so you only ever reheat what you plan to use. Once food has been reheated, do one of three things with it: serve it immediately, hold it hot at 60°C or above until service, or — if it is not used — discard it. Reheated food that is left over should not be cooled and reheated a second time. When in doubt, throw it out; the cost of wasted food is far lower than the cost of a foodborne illness incident. Portion food before storage so you only reheat single servings.. After reheating: serve, hot-hold at 60°C+, or discard.. Do not cool and reheat the same food a second time.. Label and date stored food so older stock is used or discarded first.. Prove it: probe thermometers and records You cannot judge 60°C by sight, steam or touch, so verification depends on a probe thermometer. Temperature control is a requirement under Standard 3.2.2, and Standard 3.2.2A adds food safety management tools for many food service, catering and retail businesses — including being able to substantiate that controls like temperature are working. A clean, calibrated probe thermometer is the practical tool for both. Insert a clean, sanitised probe into the thickest part or centre of the food — the slowest point to heat — and wait for the reading to stabilise. Check more than one spot in large or uneven batches. Sanitise the probe between different foods to avoid cross-contamination. Calibrate the thermometer regularly using an ice-slurry (0°C) or boiling-water (100°C) check, and record reheating temperatures where your food safety program or Standard 3.2.2A obligations require it. Good records both keep food safe and give an inspector clear evidence of due diligence. Check what applies to your business with your local council or state or territory food regulator. Probe the core (thickest/centre point) and let the reading settle.. Sanitise the probe between foods to prevent cross-contamination.. Calibrate regularly with an ice-slurry or boiling-water check.. Log reheating temperatures where your food safety program requires it.. Worked examples: Reheating a tray of curry for hot holding: A cook takes a tray of curry from the fridge to hold hot for service. They divide it into shallow portions and reheat rapidly on the stove, stirring so cold spots catch up, aiming to reach 60°C within two hours and targeting around 75°C in the core. A clean probe confirms the temperature before the curry goes into the bain-marie at 60°C or above. The bain-marie shortcut that backfires: A busy kitchen drops cold pies straight into the pie warmer to save time. Because the warmer is designed only to hold hot food, the pies sit in the danger zone for hours. The correct approach is to reheat them rapidly in the oven to at least 60°C first, then transfer them to the warmer to hold at 60°C or above. Checklist: Food was previously cooled and stored correctly (held at 5°C or colder).. Food portioned into shallow, serving-sized amounts before reheating.. Reheated with a stove, oven or microwave — not a bain-marie or pie warmer.. Core temperature reached at least 60°C (ideally ~75°C) within two hours.. Temperature confirmed with a clean, calibrated probe thermometer in the thickest part.. Food reheated only once — no second cool-and-reheat cycle.. Reheated food served immediately, hot-held at 60°C+, or discarded.. Reheating temperature recorded where required by your food safety program.. Probe sanitised between different foods to prevent cross-contamination.. Common mistakes: Using a bain-marie, pie warmer or heat lamp to reheat cold food — this equipment only holds hot food and leaves food in the danger zone too long.. Reheating one large mass instead of shallow portions, so the centre never reaches 60°C.. Judging temperature by steam, sight or touch instead of probing the core with a thermometer.. Reheating the same food more than once, sending it repeatedly through the 5°C-60°C danger zone.. Putting under-heated food into hot-holding equipment and expecting it to catch up.. Failing to stir microwaved or liquid foods, leaving cold spots where bacteria survive.. Not sanitising the probe between foods, causing cross-contamination.. Assuming 60°C destroys everything — some bacteria produce heat-stable toxins that reheating cannot remove, which is why fast cooling and correct storage beforehand matter..