What Equipment Should You Use to Reheat Food

Empower Employees Through Nutrient Safety Training

When food is reheated, information technology passes through the temperature danger zone where bacteria multiply fastest. Whenever you lot reheat nutrient, make sure to use the proper equipment to get it through the danger zone quickly.

Learning Objectives

You lot may choose to read these learning objectives with your employees equally a part of the stand-up training.

After this preparation, employees will be able to:

• Explain why it’south of import to reheat food properly
• Place what equipment can be used to reheat nutrient
• Identify what temperature reheated nutrient needs to reach

The Facts

You may choose to read these facts with your employees every bit a part of the stand-upwardly grooming.

• When food is reheated, it passes through the temperature danger zone, 41°F–135°F (five°C–57°C). Food must exist reheated quickly to prevent leaner from multiplying to dangerous levels. More often than not, that means reheating the food within two hours or less.
• Use equipment that is capable of reheating nutrient within two hours or less. That generally means using an oven, stove, or microwave.
• If nutrient will be hot-held, reheat it to 165°F, no matter its original cooking temperature. There are ii exceptions to this rule:
  • Ready-to-swallow food that has been commercially processed and packaged should be reheated to 135°F.
  • Unsliced portions of meat roasts may exist reheated to the whatever of the time/temperature combinations immune for cooking roasts.
• If food will exist served immediately, information technology tin can be reheated to any temperature.

Training Activities

Choose the activities that will be most beneficial for your employees. Alter them as needed to fit the preparation needs of your establishment.

Point information technology Out

Claiming:
Ask for volunteers to participate in a challenge, or enquire all employees to participate. Explicate that on the count of three, yous want them to betoken to a piece of equipment that tin be used to reheat nutrient. Afterward counting to iii, wait at where your employees are pointing.

Explain:
Ask several employees to explain to the group why they pointed where they did. Exist ready to add together facts to support their choices if necessary.

Discuss:
If whatever employees pointed in the wrong management, outset a group discussion. Ask, “Why don’t nosotros use this equipment to reheat nutrient?”

Check the Temperature

Hash out:
What temperature does reheated food need to reach? Make sure workers mention the divergence between food that is beingness reheated for hot-holding and nutrient that will be served immediately.

Demonstrate:
Inquire an employee to demonstrate how to check the temperature of food, or demonstrate information technology yourself. You may want to reference facts or employ some resource from our stand-upwardly training about taking food temperatures.

Display:
Post the Reheating Food Process Poster in your establishment to remind employees how to reheat nutrient safely. If your establishment reheats meat roasts, likewise mail the Cooking and Reheating Roasts Nautical chart.

Following Up

The FDA Food Code advises wellness inspectors to find food workers as they prepare food, including reheating leftovers. Specifically, inspectors check that:

• Employees utilise the correct equipment to reheat nutrient.
• Employees take the temperature of food that’s being reheated for hot-property.
• You have enough reheating equipment with sufficient capacity to run across your establishment’southward needs.

Inspectors might also enquire employees to depict the process they follow to reheat food.

You lot can help employees ready for your next health inspection by having exercise inspections. Observe employees as they reheat nutrient, quiz them about the reheating procedure on occasion, and offer tips for how they tin can meliorate. As needed, review this training with your employees.

Preparation Resources

Hang upwards the
Reheating Food Process Poster
to remind your employees how to reheat food for hot-holding.

The
Cooking and Reheating Roasts Chart
covers safe times and temperatures for heating roasts.

The
Outbreak Caused past School Lunch
video gives a real-life example of how improperly reheated food made the students at an elementary school sick. Spanish subtitles are available in the video settings.

Did you use this stand up-up grooming in your establishment? We’d love to get your feedback! Take a minute to practice our feedback survey.

— Jessica Pettit