How do you pack hot and cold food?

  • Hot food stays 135°F or above the whole trip (a whole roast cooked on the roast chart: 130°F or above; food trucks: 135°F). Cold food stays 41°F or below (raw shell eggs: the air around them 45°F or below).
  • Hot: cook to temperature first. Preheat an insulated carrier with hot water for 15 minutes, then empty it.
  • Cold: chill food fully in the fridge first. Pre-chill the cooler with ice. Pack ice around and on top.
  • Use covered, spill-proof containers labeled with the dish, allergens, and the time it left temperature control if that applies.
  • Raw meat is sealed and below ready-to-eat food, ideally in its own cooler.
  • Ride in the passenger area with the air on, not a hot trunk. Secure it so it can't tip.

Sources: Source protocols: transporting food hot or cold

What if it arrives too cool?

  • Aim for under 1 hour door to door.
  • On arrival, probe right away. Hot food goes into a warmer at 135°F or above (a whole roast on the chart: 130°F); cold food into the fridge or on ice at 41°F or below. The Food on the road card on Do records it.
  • Arrived out of range for under 2 hours: reheat hot food to 165°F for 15 seconds once (store-bought ready-to-eat food from a sealed package: 135°F; a whole unsliced roast cooked on the roast chart: the same chart), or chill cold food to 41°F, right away. Unknown or longer: throw it out, unless it is marked under your written time-control steps (not food trucks, home kitchens or Summit County booths): then serve or throw it out by the mark, and at 4 hours always throw it out.
  • Time without temperature control counts toward the 4-hour limit, from when it left the oven or fridge.

Sources: Source protocols: transport time limits · Food Code 3-501.19

Can you cook ahead and carry it cold?

  • Another option: cook, cool it the right way (2 + 4 hours), carry it cold, then reheat to 165°F within 2 hours when you get there.

Sources: Source protocols: transport time limits (option for home cooks) · Food Code 3-501.14 · Food Code 3-403.11

The rules behind it

  • Hot and cold holding. Hot 135°F or above and cold 41°F or below, except a whole roast cooked on the roast chart (130°F or above, not on a food truck), raw shell eggs (the air around them 45°F or below) and food marked under time control (Food Code 3-501.19, 4 hours, not on a food truck). Food carried to an event is probed at loading and on arrival. Food Code 3-501.16, 3-501.19; R392-102-12(6)
  • Time as a public health control. 4-hour limit with containers marked; written procedure on file; unmarked containers discarded. Food Code 3-501.19