Run it live
Cooking or reheating
Read the centre of the thickest part. If it hasn't reached the limit, keep cooking and read it again.
Cook-chill, with a probe in the food
A probe stays in the batch from cooking to chilled. Readings arrive on their own, and each stage passes or fails as the food crosses it.
Ways to run this control
The control stays the same. How you capture it changes, and each way has its own weak spot.
Paper sheet
- What it is
- The sheet on the clipboard.
- Fits
- One small kitchen with a careful owner.
- Watch for
- It can't warn anyone. It can be filled in later, and you only find out at the audit.
Digital form
- What it is
- A form on a phone or tablet that checks each answer as it's entered.
- Fits
- Most kitchens, most of the time.
- Watch for
- It's only as honest as the reading typed into it.
Hand probe with timers
- What it is
- A person reads a calibrated probe, and the system keeps the clock.
- Fits
- Cooling and cooking, where a person is already at the food.
- Watch for
- It relies on someone being there when each reading is due.
Photo and vision AI
- What it is
- Take a photo of the probe, docket or label. AI reads it and a person confirms it.
- Fits
- Busy lines, wet hands, and proof of what the display really said.
- Watch for
- It needs a good picture. A person still confirms every value.
Wireless sensor
- What it is
- A sensor reports all day and night, and alarms go to a named person.
- Fits
- Cold rooms, fridges and long unattended processes.
- Watch for
- Air isn't food. It tells you when to look, and someone still has to check the food.
Stage tracker
- What it is
- An engine judges each stage of a process from its readings.
- Fits
- Cook-chill, cooling and any process with time limits per stage.
- Watch for
- Stage limits must come from a plan someone has validated.