# Cooking and reheating temperature log for a restaurant: the Food Code temperatures, where to probe, and a log to print

*Guides · Mays Team · September 22, 2026*

![Mays cover card: Cooking and reheating temperature log for a restaurant: the Food Code temperatures, where to probe, and a log to print — Probe the thickest part, write it down, keep cooking if it's short](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/blog__cooking-reheating-temperature-log-restaurant__cover.e8432ed32d.png)

Cooking is the step that makes raw chicken, ground beef and eggs safe, and it's the step where a guess ("it looks done") does the most damage. A probe thermometer and a line on a log take ten seconds. They also give you the record an inspector asks about when they see a chicken special on the menu.

This post gives you the Food Code's cooking and reheating temperatures in two tables, how to take a reading that counts, a log to print, corrective actions, and a card to tape above the line.

*General information. Your state or local health department enforces its own edition of the Food Code, and its numbers can differ. Section numbers and figures below are from the* [*FDA Food Code 2026*](https://www.fda.gov/food/fda-food-code/food-code-2026)*.*

## Cooking temperatures

The Food Code requires raw animal foods to be cooked *"to heat all parts of the FOOD to a temperature and for a time"* that matches the food (§3-401.11(A)).

| Food | Minimum internal temperature and time | Section |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Raw eggs broken and cooked to order for immediate service | 145°F for 15 seconds | §3-401.11(A)(1)(a) |
| Fish; intact meat (whole steaks, chops), including commercially raised game | 145°F for 15 seconds | §3-401.11(A)(1)(b) |
| Non-intact meat (ground, mechanically tenderized, cubed or pounded: burgers, sausage, cube steak); ratites such as ostrich; ground fish; raw eggs not cooked to order (for a buffet or batch) | 155°F for 17 seconds, or 145°F for 3 minutes, or 150°F for 1 minute, or 158°F instantaneous | §3-401.11(A)(2) |
| Poultry; stuffed fish, meat, pasta or poultry; stuffing containing fish, meat or poultry; wild game | 165°F, instantaneous | §3-401.11(A)(3) |
| Whole meat roasts (beef, corned beef, lamb, pork, ham) | A time and temperature from the roast chart, from 130°F for 112 minutes to 145°F for 4 minutes, then shorter times at higher temperatures up to 158°F instantaneous; holding time may include post-oven heat rise | §3-401.11(B)(1) |
| Raw animal food cooked in a microwave | 165°F in all parts, rotated or stirred, covered, then left to stand covered for 2 minutes | §3-401.12 |
| Fruits and vegetables cooked for hot holding | 135°F | §3-401.13 |

Two exceptions to know: a whole-muscle, intact beef steak may be served rare if it's seared on top and bottom to 145°F with a color change all over the outside (§3-401.11(C)), and other raw or undercooked animal food can be served on a guest's request with a consumer advisory (§3-401.11(D)). Our [consumer advisory templates](https://www.mays.app/blog/consumer-advisory-raw-undercooked-menu-template) cover the wording.

Roasts also have oven rules: an oven preheated and held at a minimum temperature by roast weight and oven type (for a still dry oven, 350°F for a roast under 10 pounds, 250°F for 10 pounds or more) (§3-401.11(B)(2)). If you cook roasts, copy the full chart from the Food Code onto your roast card.

## Reheating temperatures

| What you're reheating | Rule | Section |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Food cooked and cooled in your kitchen, reheated **for hot holding** | All parts to at least 165°F for 15 seconds | §3-403.11(A) |
| The same, reheated in a microwave | All parts to at least 165°F, rotated or stirred, covered, and left to stand covered for 2 minutes | §3-403.11(B) |
| Ready-to-eat food commercially processed and packaged in an inspected plant (canned chili, packaged soup) | At least 135°F | §3-403.11(C) |
| Time limit for all of the above | Done rapidly: the time between 41°F and the target *"may not exceed two hours"* | §3-403.11(D) |
| Unsliced leftover roast | May be reheated using the roast's original oven and time and temperature rules | §3-403.11(E) |
| Reheated for **immediate service** to one guest (a roast beef sandwich au jus) | *"may be served at any temperature"* | §3-403.10 |

The 2-hour limit catches the most kitchens: a big pot of yesterday's soup set on a low burner may take longer than 2 hours to get from the walk-in to 165°F. Reheat in smaller batches, on high heat, then move it to the hot well. Hot holding afterwards is at 135°F or above; see our [hot-holding and cooling guide](https://www.mays.app/blog/hot-holding-cooling-food-safety-cafe).

## Taking a reading that counts

- **A thermometer at every cooking station.** Food temperature measuring devices must be *"provided and readily accessible"* (§4-302.12(A)), and for thin foods such as burgers and fish fillets you need one *"with a suitable small-diameter probe that is designed to measure the temperature of thin masses"* (§4-302.12(B)).
- **Accurate to ±2°F** for a Fahrenheit-only thermometer (§4-203.11(B)), and calibrated per the manufacturer (§4-502.11(B)). Our [thermometer calibration post](https://www.mays.app/blog/calibrate-food-thermometer-ice-point-check) has the ice-point check and a log.
- **Probe the part most likely to be coolest:** usually the center of the thickest piece, away from bone and the pan. For a batch, check more than one piece.
- **Hold it until the reading settles,** and for foods with a time (15 or 17 seconds), keep the food at or above the temperature for that long.
- **Clean and sanitize the probe** before and after each use, and always between raw and cooked food. Equipment must be cleaned *"Before using or storing a FOOD TEMPERATURE MEASURING DEVICE"* (§4-602.11(A)(4)).

## The cooking and reheating log

One sheet per station per day. You don't need to log every burger; log the items your procedure names (batches, specials, poultry, anything reheated for holding), and spot-check the rest.

---

**\[Café / restaurant name\] — Cooking and reheating log · \[station\]**

Date: \[date\] · Thermometer: \[ID, last calibrated: date\]

| Time | Item / batch | Cook or reheat | Required | Reading °F | Reheat: out of cooler at | Reheat: reached target at | Initials | Corrective action |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| \[11:10\] | \[Chicken thighs, batch 1\] | Cook | 165°F | \[171\] |  |  |  |  |
| \[11:30\] | \[Chili, from yesterday\] | Reheat | 165°F, within 2 h | \[168\] | \[10:05\] | \[11:25\] |  |  |
| \[12:15\] | \[Burger, spot check\] | Cook | 155°F / 17 s |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

Manager review at close: ………………………… Time: ……………

---

## Corrective actions

Write these on the back of the log, so the cook doesn't have to decide on the spot.

| What you find | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| Cooked item below its temperature | Keep cooking and probe again. Log both readings. |
| Thermometer reads oddly (too high, too low, jumps) | Use a backup thermometer; take the first out of use until it's calibrated. |
| Reheated item hasn't reached 165°F | Keep reheating if you're still inside the 2 hours from the cooler. |
| Reheated item still short after 2 hours from the cooler | \[Discard it.\] It no longer meets §3-403.11(D). Log it as waste. |
| Item served before it was checked | Tell the person in charge right away. |

## The station card

Tape this above the line.

---

**Cook to (in the thickest part):**

- **165°F** · poultry, anything stuffed, microwave-cooked raw animal food (then stand 2 minutes)
- **155°F for 17 seconds** · burgers, ground meat, sausage, tenderized or cubed meat, eggs for the buffet
- **145°F for 15 seconds** · fish, steaks, chops, eggs to order
- **135°F** · vegetables for the hot well

**Reheat for the hot well:** **165°F** within **2 hours** from the cooler. Then hold at **135°F** or above.

**Probe clean, sanitized, calibrated.** Short? Keep cooking and probe again.

---

## Your cooking temperature checklist

- \[ \] A probe thermometer at every cooking station, plus a thin-probe one for burgers and fish
- \[ \] Thermometers calibrated and logged
- \[ \] Station card above the line
- \[ \] Log for batches, specials, poultry and every reheat for holding
- \[ \] Corrective actions on the back of the log
- \[ \] Reheat in batches small enough to reach 165°F within 2 hours
- \[ \] Consumer advisory on the menu for anything served undercooked on request

## Where Mays fits

- **The log as a form.** Build a *Cook and reheat log* form under **Tasks → Types**: a **Single choice** field for the item, a **Temperature** field with a pass range for the reading, a **Date / time** field (**Time only**), and a **Text** field for corrective action. Because a pass range belongs to one field, give each temperature rule its own field (*Poultry 165°F*, with a pass range of 165 to 212, for example) or its own form, so a short reading shows *Out of range* as it's entered. Every submission lands in **Tasks → Data** with **Export CSV**. See [Building custom forms](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/custom-form-task-types) and [Task Data](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/task-data-export).
- **An alert on a short reading.** Under **Insights → Alerts & Reports**, a **Task Form Field Threshold** alert on the poultry field, **At or below** 164, notifies the people you pick every time someone logs one. See [Alerts and scheduled reports](https://www.mays.app/help/reports-insights/alerts-and-scheduled-reports).
- **On the line check.** Add the form to the station's daily checklist as a **Custom form** task. A plain **Number** answer on a checklist doesn't check the value against a range, so if you use one, put the target in the task's name (*Chicken special final temp, 165°F or more*). See [Task answer types](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/task-response-types) and [Creating a checklist template](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/create-a-checklist-template).
- **The chart on every phone.** Put the station card and the roast chart in a **Knowledge Base** folder shared with the kitchen. See [Your knowledge base](https://www.mays.app/help/knowledge-training/knowledge-base-basics).

What Mays doesn't do: a field's pass range is fixed, so it can't change with the item picked in the same form, and formulas work with numbers, not clock times, so the form can't work out the 2-hour reheat deadline for you. Mays doesn't connect to probe thermometers; the wireless sensors it supports log fridges and freezers.

## Probe it, log it, keep cooking if it's short

Know the five numbers, probe the thickest part with a calibrated thermometer, write down the reading, and reheat fast enough to beat the 2-hour clock. The log takes seconds; a sick guest takes much longer to forget.

[**Start your free trial**](https://go.mays.app/register): 30 days, every module, no card needed. Or [book a walkthrough](https://www.mays.app/book?from=blog-cooking-reheating-temperature-log-restaurant) and we'll build your cook log and alert with you.

## Related help articles

- Tasks & checklists: [Building custom forms (Task Types)](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/custom-form-task-types) — Build your own task forms, like a cash count, a temperature log or a waste log, under Tasks → Types. Staff fill them in the app, and every answer lands in Task Data, ready to export.
- Reports & insights: [Alerts and scheduled reports](https://www.mays.app/help/reports-insights/alerts-and-scheduled-reports) — Get a notification when labor runs hot, a vendor raises a price or a form reading is out of range, and have a labor, prime cost or vendor spend summary emailed every week or month.
- Tasks & checklists: [Task Data: viewing and exporting form answers](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/task-data-export) — Tasks → Data lists every answer submitted on a custom form, like a cash count or temperature log, one row per submission, and downloads them as a CSV file.
- Tasks & checklists: [Task answer types](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/task-response-types) — Every task has an answer type that decides how staff complete it. Tick a box, take a photo, enter a number or text, pick an option, record a location, count stock or fill in a form.
- Tasks & checklists: [Creating a checklist template](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/create-a-checklist-template) — Build an opening, closing or cleaning checklist once as a template — groups, tasks and answer types — and Mays turns it into your team's task list in the app.
- Knowledge & training: [Your knowledge base](https://www.mays.app/help/knowledge-training/knowledge-base-basics) — Keep your SOPs, recipes and policies in one place. Admins and managers build folders of articles and documents on the web; the whole team reads and searches them in the app.

Canonical: https://www.mays.app/blog/cooking-reheating-temperature-log-restaurant