Fridge and Freezer Temperature Log

What this sheet is for

Show that an appliance was checked, twice a day, by someone who wrote down what they saw. A run of readings shows drift long before one reading shows a failure.

Who it is for

Cafes, kitchens, childminders, care and community settings, and households keeping an eye on an appliance they suspect is failing.

How to use it

1. Write your own target for each appliance in the box at the top, taken from the manufacturer's instructions or the rules that apply to you.
2. Take a reading twice a day, at roughly the same times, and record the time.
3. Mark whether the reading was inside your target.
4. Where it was not, write what you did about it and initial the line.

What is on the sheet

The layout is fixed at a size that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the A4 and Letter files are visually identical and print at full size on either. Rows are set at a height that an adult can actually write a date and a few words into with a pen — most printable tables are built in a word processor and never tested with one.

Questions

What temperature should a fridge or freezer be kept at?

This sheet does not say, and that is deliberate. The right setting comes from the manufacturer's instructions for your appliance, and if you are keeping records for a food business, from the food safety rules that apply where you trade. Those rules differ between countries and regions, so check yours and write the figure on the sheet yourself.

Is a paper log still acceptable when the fridge has a digital display?

A display shows you now; a log shows you the trend, which is what tells you an appliance is drifting before it fails. Whether paper is acceptable for a particular business is a question for the rules that apply to you.