Keeping cooked hot food at or above 60 degrees C during display or service so bacteria cannot grow.
Keeping cooked hot food at or above 60 degrees C during display or service so bacteria cannot grow. Hot holding is keeping cooked potentially hazardous food hot, at or above 60 degrees C, while it waits to be served. Holding food above 60 degrees C keeps it out of the temperature danger zone, so bacteria cannot multiply to unsafe levels. It is the standard way to safely display or keep hot food that is not served immediately after cooking, such as food on a buffet, in a bain-marie or under a heat lamp. The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code requires potentially hazardous food that is displayed or held hot to be kept at or above 60 degrees C. Hot holding equipment is designed to maintain temperature, not to reheat or cook food, so food must already be hot when it goes in. The equipment keeps the food safe, but the temperature still needs to be checked because cold spots and equipment faults can let parts of the food drop into the danger zone. Australian kitchens use bain-maries, hot cabinets, heat lamps and hot display units for hot holding, and staff check the food temperature with a probe thermometer rather than trusting the appliance setting alone. Food is placed in the unit already hot, kept covered where possible, and stirred or rotated so it heats evenly. Adding cold food to a bain-marie to reheat it is not appropriate because the unit cannot bring it up to temperature quickly enough. If hot food is found below 60 degrees C, the business needs a corrective action, such as rapidly reheating it to 60 degrees C if it has only recently dropped, or applying the 2-hour / 4-hour rule and discarding it if it has been too long. Hot holding temperatures are commonly recorded during the day as a monitoring step in the food safety program. A takeaway shop keeps roast meats in a hot display cabinet for lunchtime service. Staff probe the meat at intervals and record temperatures at or above 60 degrees C. When one tray reads 55 degrees C, they move it to the oven to rapidly reheat it back to 60 degrees C before returning it to display, and note the corrective action.
Frequently asked questions
What temperature is required for hot holding?
Hot potentially hazardous food on display or being held should be kept at or above 60 degrees C.
Can I use a bain-marie to heat cold food?
No. Hot holding equipment maintains temperature but does not reheat quickly. Reheat food to 60 degrees C in an oven, stove or microwave first, then place it in the bain-marie.
How do I know the food is hot enough?
Check the food with a probe thermometer, including cold spots and the centre, rather than relying on the appliance dial or how the food looks.
What should I do if hot food drops below 60 degrees C?
Take corrective action. If it dropped only recently, rapidly reheat to 60 degrees C. If it has been in the danger zone too long, apply the 2-hour / 4-hour rule and discard as needed.
How often should I check hot holding temperatures?
Check regularly through service and record the readings as a monitoring step. The exact frequency depends on the business and its food safety program.
