Hot-Holding Guidelines

When holding hot foods for service, observe the following guidelines: • Stir the food at regular intervals, as it will help distribute heat evenly throughout the food. • Keep the food covered as covering will help retain heat and eliminate potential contaminates from  falling into the food.... • Use a food thermometer to measure the food’s internal temperature every one hours. • Discard any hot food after four hours if it has not been maintained at a temperature of 63oC or  higher. Other safety precautions regarding hot-holding foods include never using hot-holding equipment to reheat  foods. Foods to be reheated should first be heated to an internal temperature of 65ºC and then transferred  to the hot-holding equipment. Also, never mix freshly prepared food with foods being held for service as  this practice can result in contaminated foods.