Free cheat sheet
Food safety temperatures, on one page.
The numbers from the FSA's Safer Food, Better Business pack and food hygiene guidance for England, Wales and Northern Ireland - with where each one comes from. In Scotland? Scotland follows CookSafe, with a few different figures. Print it for the kitchen wall.
Kitchen temperatures
Fridges and chilled display
8°C
Legal limit. Aim for 5°C or below
Legal limit for chilled food in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Freezers
−18°C
Or colder. Check it daily
Keeps frozen food frozen hard.
Cooking (core)
75°C
For 30 s, or 70°C for 2 min
Other safe combinations: 65°C for 10 min, 60°C for 45 min.
Reheating
75°C+
Steaming hot, once only
Reheating means cooking again, not just warming up. In Scotland the law asks for 82°C, unless that would spoil the food.
Hot holding
63°C+
Legal minimum while it waits
Legal requirement. Off heat for display: up to 2 hours, once.
Cooling cooked food
90 min
Our target. FSA: within 1 to 2 hours
Small portions, shallow trays, ice baths or a blast chiller.
Chilled food out of the fridge
4 hrs
Maximum, once. Then bin it
After 4 hours it must be thrown away.
Probe check
±1°C
Iced and boiling water, monthly
If it reads outside this, replace or recalibrate it.
Out of range? Write down what you did. Sources: FSA Safer Food, Better Business (caterers' pack) and GOV.UK food hygiene guidance, checked 11 October 2026. England, Wales and Northern Ireland. fivestardiary.co.uk
Where the numbers come from
| Check | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fridges and chilled display | “It is recommended that fridges and chilled display equipment should be set at 5°C or below. This is to make sure that chilled food is kept at 8°C or below.” 8°C is a legal requirement in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. | SFBB: Chilled storage and display |
| Freezers | Frozen food should be kept at −18°C or below. | SFBB: Prove it |
| Cooking | Safe time/temperature combinations: 80°C for at least 6 seconds, 75°C for at least 30 seconds, 70°C for at least 2 minutes, 65°C for at least 10 minutes, 60°C for at least 45 minutes. | SFBB: Cooking safely; GOV.UK |
| Reheating | Reheat until it reaches a safe temperature in the centre (see Cooking), only once: steaming hot all the way through. We check for 75°C. In Scotland, reheated food must reach at least 82°C, unless that would spoil the food. | SFBB: Reheating |
| Hot holding | Hot food must be kept at 63°C or above. Food taken out of hot holding for display can stay out for up to two hours, once. | SFBB: Hot holding |
| Cooling | Chill cooked food “as quickly as possible” and put it in the fridge; FSA guidance says within one to two hours. We use 90 minutes as the target. | SFBB: Chilling down hot food; FSA |
| Chilled food on display | The “4 hour rule”: chilled food can be out of the fridge for up to four hours, once; after that it must be thrown away. | GOV.UK: Chilling and freezing |
| Probe thermometer | In iced water −1°C to 1°C; in boiling water 99°C to 101°C. Otherwise replace or recalibrate. | SFBB: Prove it |
General information based on FSA guidance, not legal advice. Always follow manufacturers' instructions, which may ask for lower temperatures.
In Scotland: CookSafe
Food businesses in Scotland follow Food Standards Scotland's CookSafe, and Scotland uses the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (Pass or Improvement Required) rather than the 0 to 5 rating. Scottish kitchens on Five Star Diary get these figures:
| Check | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerators and chills | 5°C or below. Check at the start of the day and again later. CookSafe's recommended practice. Scottish law has no fixed figure. | FSS CookSafe: Temperature Control |
| Freezers | −18°C or below. Function check once a day. Stops bacteria multiplying. | FSS CookSafe: Temperature Control |
| Cooking (core) | 75°C or above. Or 70°C for 2 min, 65°C for 10 min, 60°C for 45 min. Kills almost all types of bacteria. | FSS CookSafe: Cooking |
| Reheating | 82°C or above. Reheat once only. Scottish law, unless 82°C would spoil the food. | Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regs 2006; FSS CookSafe |
| Hot holding | Above 63°C. Pre-heat the bain-marie or hot cabinet. Scottish law: above 63°C. | FSS CookSafe: Hot holding |
| Cooling cooked food | As quickly as possible. Our limit: 90 minutes, never over 2 hours. Small portions or shallow containers. Don't put hot food in the fridge. | FSS CookSafe: Cooling |
| Chilled deliveries | 5°C or below. Frozen at −18°C or below. Reject anything outside your limits. | FSS CookSafe: Delivery |
| Probe check | −1 to 1°C · 99 to 101°C. Monthly, plus a yearly calibration of the display unit. If it reads outside this, replace or recalibrate it. | FSS CookSafe: Monthly Probe Thermometer Check |
Sources: Food Standards Scotland, CookSafe (Temperature Control House Rules and HACCP charts) and the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006, Schedule 4 (reheating to not less than 82°C, with a defence where that would spoil the food; hot food above 63°C). Scottish law sets no fixed chill temperature: CookSafe says 8°C or below controls most bacteria and recommends running fridges at 5°C or below. Contains public sector information from Food Standards Scotland, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.