Food Cooling Log (Free Printable PDF): The 2-Hour and 6-Hour Rule

Quick answer: this free printable cooling log tracks up to 16 batches of cooked food per page, with readings at 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours. Cooked food must cool from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then to 41°F or below within 6 hours total. Start the clock when the food drops below 135°F.

Cooling is the step inspectors worry about most, and with reason: big batches of chili, rice, beans, and stock that cool too slowly sit for hours at the temperatures where bacteria grow fastest. A cooling log is how a kitchen proves that every batch made it through the two stages in time. This one tracks up to 16 batches per page, with readings at 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours.

Preview. The PDF has 16 rows on a single landscape page.

How to Fill It In

• Start a row when the food comes off the heat and drops below 135°F. Write the start time and temperature.
• Write the method, such as "2-inch hotel pans, walk-in" or "ice bath, stirred." If a batch fails, the method is usually why.
• Take readings at 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours after the start time, with a probe thermometer in the center of the food. The 1-hour reading is optional under the rule, but it's your early warning: food that hasn't dropped much by then won't make 70°F in time.
• Stop when the food reaches 41°F. If it gets there at 4 hours, you can leave the 6-hour column blank.
• Write down any fix, such as "reheated to 170°F, split into shallow pans" or "discarded," and initial the row.
• Have the manager review it weekly. FDA's guide for operators gives exactly this as its example of verification: the kitchen manager checks the cooling log each week for the start time, the starting temperature, and initialed readings as the food cools.

The Two-Stage Cooling Rule

The FDA Food Code (§3-501.14) sets two limits for cooked TCS food:

• Stage 1: from 135°F (57°C) to 70°F (21°C) within 2 hours. This is the stretch where bacteria grow fastest, so it gets the shorter clock.
• Stage 2: to 41°F (5°C) or below within 6 hours total, counted from when the food was at 135°F. If stage 1 took only 1 hour, you have 5 hours left, not 4.

Food made from ingredients at room temperature, such as tuna salad from canned tuna or a reconstituted sauce, has to reach 41°F within 4 hours (§3-501.14(B)). The same 4-hour limit applies to milk and shellfish that federal-state rules allow to arrive slightly above 41°F (§3-501.14(C)).

The person in charge is responsible for daily oversight of employees' cooling checks (§2-103.11(H)). The Food Code doesn't generally require a written cooling log, but many health departments expect one, and it's often the only way to show a batch cooled in time when the inspector arrives the next morning.

Cooling Methods That Work

The Food Code lists the approved methods (§3-501.15):

• Shallow pans. The 2026 Food Code adds a related method: food spread no more than 2 inches deep.
• Smaller or thinner portions, such as cutting a roast into pieces or splitting a stockpot into several containers.
• Rapid cooling equipment, such as a blast chiller.
• An ice water bath, stirring the food so the outside doesn't chill while the center stays hot.
• Containers that move heat out quickly, such as thin metal pans rather than plastic tubs, or a frozen cooling paddle stirred through soups and sauces.
• Ice as an ingredient, for soups and sauces where some of the water can go in as ice.

While food cools in the cooler, keep containers loosely covered, or uncovered if nothing can drip into them, and space them so cold air reaches every side (§3-501.15(B)). A lid sealed tight on a full stockpot is the classic cooling failure.

When a Batch Misses

The Food Code doesn't write the corrective action into the rule; FDA's inspection guidance notes that cooling problems can be complicated and depend on the food. A common rule, used in many HACCP plans and health department guides:

Then fix the cause: smaller batches, shallower pans, an ice bath before the walk-in, or a cooling paddle for liquids.

Tools That Make Cooling Easier

A plastic paddle you fill with water, freeze, and stir through a pot of soup, sauce, or stock. Pros: pulls heat out of the center of a liquid, where an ice bath is slowest; the standard tool in commercial kitchens. Cons: it has to be washed, sanitized, and refrozen between uses, so most kitchens keep two. Best for: soups, stocks, chili, and sauces in large batches.

Set one channel for the 2-hour check and another for the 6-hour check the moment a batch starts cooling. Pros: four separate alarms, loud enough for a kitchen. Cons: more expensive than a home timer. Best for: kitchens cooling several batches at once.

Any fast probe thermometer works for the readings; see our best food thermometers guide, and our kitchen timers guide for cheaper timers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 2-hour and 6-hour cooling rule?

Cooked food has to cool from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then reach 41°F or below within 6 hours total. Both limits come from the FDA Food Code, §3-501.14.

Is the 6 hours counted from the start or after the first 2 hours?

From the start, when the food was at 135°F. The whole process can take no more than 6 hours, so the second stage gets 4 hours if the first took the full 2.

Can I put hot food straight into the walk-in cooler?

Yes, and it's often the right move, as long as the food is in shallow pans or small portions, loosely covered, and spaced out. What fails is a full, covered stockpot, which can stay warm in the center for many hours and warm up the food around it.

What if food doesn't reach 70°F in 2 hours?

A common rule is to reheat it to 165°F and start cooling again using a faster method, or throw it out. Follow your HACCP plan or health department if it says otherwise.

Do I need a cooling log?

The FDA Food Code generally doesn't require one, but it does require the person in charge to oversee cooling every day, and many health departments expect a log. It's the easiest way to prove last night's batch cooled in time.

Bottom Line

Start the clock at 135°F, check at 2 hours and again by 6, and write it all down. If you're studying for a manager exam, the two-stage rule is one of its most tested numbers; our free food manager practice test drills it.

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