Food Safety Cooling Curve
Estimated 135->70 F and 70->41 F cooling time with FDA Food Code 2022 pass/fail.
Example
You enter
- Starting temp (F; confirms food is hot; cooling time shown is the FDA 135-to-70-to-41 window, not measured from this temp) 135
- Ambient temp (°F) 70
- Container full_pan_4in
- Product type thick_liquid
You get
- Phase 1 (135->70 F) 110 min - PASS (<=120)
- Phase 2 (70->41 F) 176 min - PASS (<=240)
- Phase1 pass Yes
- Phase2 pass Yes
Details, formula, and sources
FDA Food Code 2022 §3-501.14: cooked TCS food must cool from 135 °F to 70 °F within 2 hours and from 70 °F to 41 °F within 4 additional hours. Pass / fail flag computed against the user's measured times.
FDA Food Code 2022 §3-501.14.
Free at fda.gov (Food, Retail Food Protection, FDA Food Code).
The thermometer on the food is the verdict. Local health department governs.
Field names used by the API: start_F, ambient_F, container, product_type, phase1_minutes, phase2_minutes, phase1_pass, phase2_pass
- TCS food true (Time/Temperature Control for Safety; non-TCS foods are not subject to §3-501.14)FDA Food Code 2022 §1-201.10
- Container / depth / ambient user-supplied; deeper than 4 in or non-shallow pans materially extend cooling timeFDA Food Code 2022 Annex 3