Food that needs temperature control, sliced tomatoes, deli meats, cooked rice, is supposed to stay at 41°F or below or 135°F or above. The FDA Food Code lets a kitchen use time instead, for a working supply or for food on display, under a written plan. The common version is the 4-hour rule: the food starts at 41°F or below, or 135°F or above, it's marked with the time four hours later, and it's used or thrown out by then. A 6-hour version works for cold food that starts at 41°F or below and never goes above 70°F, checked, with both times marked. Food without a time mark, or past it, is discarded. The kitchen keeps written procedures for the inspector. In the example below, a Montana sandwich shop sets up its make line.
The short version
- Time instead of temperature, under written procedures.
- 4 hours: start at 41°F or below, or 135°F or above.
- Mark the time four hours out; use or discard by then.
- 6 hours: start at 41°F or below and never go above 70°F, checked and marked.
- Unmarked or overdue food is discarded.
- Your state's version of the Food Code decides whether and how you can use it.
- TaroStack keeps each batch with its lot and dates, and what was thrown out. More below.
The two rules
| 4 hours | 6 hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting temperature | 41°F or below, or 135°F or above | 41°F or below |
| While out | No temperature limit | Never above 70°F, monitored |
| Marking | The time four hours out | The time out of the cooler and the time six hours out |
| At the end | Cooked, served or discarded | Cooked, served or discarded; discarded at once if above 70°F |
| Written procedures | Yes | Yes |
Holding temperatures themselves are in hot and cold holding temperatures, and cooling in cooling log template.
The rules
| Rule | Where |
|---|---|
| Written procedures | Prepared in advance, kept on site and available to the inspector (Food Code 2026, 3-501.19(A)) |
| Four hours | Starts at 41°F or less, or 135°F or more; marked four hours out; cooked and served, served, or discarded within four hours (3-501.19(B)) |
| Six hours | Starts at 41°F or less, stays at or below 70°F, monitored; marked with both times; discarded if above 70°F (3-501.19(C)) |
| Discard | Unmarked food, or food past its time, is discarded (3-501.19(B)(5), (C)(5)) |
| Adoption | Applies as your state or locality has adopted it (FDA, Food Code adoption) |
This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: a make line
Lunch Counter on Main, the made-up sandwich shop in Bozeman, Montana, I use in these examples, keeps its make line on the 4-hour rule over lunch instead of a cold rail:
| Item | Out of the cooler | Marked | At the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sliced tomatoes, from 38°F | 10:30 | Discard at 2:30 | 1 pan used, half a pan discarded at 2:30 |
| Turkey, sliced, from 37°F | 10:30 | Discard at 2:30 | Used by 1:45 |
| Cooked rice for bowls, from 140°F | 11:00 | Discard at 3:00 | Discarded at 3:00 |
| Coleslaw, unmarked | ? | None | Discarded on sight |
The coleslaw pan had no time on it, so it went out, as the rule requires; the procedure now says every pan gets a label before it leaves the cooler. The written procedure sits in a binder by the line for the inspector. What a sandwich earns is in how to price sandwiches.
Get the checker
Download the time control log. One sheet: each item, when it left temperature control, its starting temperature and which rule it's on; the time it has to be used or discarded by fills in. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
The log keeps the line honest. What was made in the morning, what went into which pan, and how much was thrown out each day is what tells you whether the prep amounts are right.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each prep batch with its lot and dates, so what was made when, and what was thrown out, is on record.
Batches with dates. Each batch of prep is a lot with its production date and its use-by date.
An alert before a date. An alert comes before a lot's date runs out, so it's used or marked down instead of found too late.
Waste with a reason. What's thrown out is recorded with its reason, expired or spoiled, by item, so the item that keeps going to waste shows up.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| What was made when | Tape on the container | Lots with dates |
| Food nearing its date | Found on the shelf | An alert before the date |
| What went to waste | Not counted | Waste by reason |
Lots, dates, alerts and waste by reason are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.