End of the day: cooling and chilling

At closing time, a deep tray of cooked rice is still warm on the side. Tom says it can stay there overnight, because it will be reheated tomorrow.

Tom is wrong. Bacillus cereus spores survive cooking. In warm rice they multiply and make a toxin, and reheating may not destroy it. Spread the rice out in a shallow tray and cool it as quickly as possible, ideally within 90 minutes. Then put it in the fridge. Do not put hot food in a fridge. Rice left out overnight must be thrown away. The same goes for a large pot of stew, where the concern is Clostridium perfringens.

The next morning, a fridge in a sandwich bar in Wales reads 10°C. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, chilled food must by law be kept at 8°C or below, and fridges should be set to 5°C or below. So this is a problem. Check the food with a probe, tell your supervisor, move the food to a working fridge and record what was done. Never write down a better number.

Scotland is different. The law sets no fixed number. Chilled food must be kept in a fridge or a cool ventilated place, and Food Standards Scotland recommends 5°C or below.

At a buffet in England, cold platters go out above 8°C at noon. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, chilled food can be kept above 8°C once, for less than 4 hours. So the platters must be back at 8°C or below before 4pm and stay chilled until used, or be thrown away. Do not use this tolerance in Scotland.

Keep frozen food at −18°C or colder. Defrost food in the fridge, and do not refreeze it unless you have cooked it first.