How long should food be cooled from 135 degrees to 70 degrees during the cooling process?

Cooling food from 135 degrees to 70 degrees is a critical step to ensure food safety and minimize the growth of harmful bacteria. The correct time frame for this cooling process is 2 hours.

This guideline is established according to food safety standards to limit the duration that food spends in the "danger zone," which is between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, where bacteria can grow rapidly. The first cooling step from 135 degrees to 70 degrees must occur within 2 hours to effectively reduce the temperature and prevent bacterial proliferation.

Following this initial cooling, food should then continue to cool down from 70 degrees to 41 degrees or lower within an additional 4 hours, leading to a total cooling time of up to 6 hours. Adhering to these timeframes ensures proper food safety practices are in place during food handling and preparation.