Restaurant Temperature Log Sheets: What to Record, When and Why
Which temperature logs a commercial kitchen needs - fridges, freezers, cooking, hot holding, cooling and receiving - with the limits most kitchens use.
5 min read · Updated 8 November 2026
Bacteria multiply fastest between about 5 °C and 63 °C. Controlling temperature and time is therefore the single most important daily food safety task - and the temperature log is how you prove you did it.
The six logs most kitchens need
- Fridge and freezer log - each unit, at opening and closing.
- Cooking log - core temperature of each batch of high-risk food.
- Reheating log - reheated food reaches the required temperature, once only.
- Hot holding log - bain-marie or buffet food checked every two hours.
- Cooling log - start temperature and time, then checks until chilled.
- Receiving log - temperature, packaging and expiry of every chilled or frozen delivery.
Commonly used limits
- Chilled storage: at or below 5 °C.
- Frozen storage: at or below -18 °C.
- Cooking and reheating: core at least 75 °C.
- Hot holding: at or above 63 °C.
- Two-stage cooling: to 21 °C within 2 hours, then to 5 °C within 6 hours in total.
These are widely used good-practice values. Your HACCP plan or SOP may set different limits for specific products - follow your own plan and write the limits on the log.
What makes a log useful
- Filled in at the time of the check, never at the end of the week.
- Initials of the person who checked.
- A corrective action written next to every reading outside the limit.
- Reviewed and signed by a supervisor daily.
- Kept for the period your SOP or inspector expects.
Tip: A spreadsheet that turns out-of-limit readings red removes guesswork - staff see instantly when they must act, and the monthly review takes minutes.
Calibrate your thermometers
A log is only as good as the thermometer. Check probes monthly in iced water (about 0 °C) and boiling water (about 100 °C at sea level). Replace or adjust any probe that is more than about 1 °C out, and record the check.
This guide is general information to help food businesses improve their practices. It is not legal advice. Always check the current FSSAI requirements that apply to your licence or registration.