Probe Checks Training
This guide explains how to use Culinary Key's probe check feature to record food temperatures and keep audit-ready evidence for UK food safety compliance.
What Are Probe Checks?
Probe checks are temperature measurements taken with a food probe to verify that food is being stored, cooked, held, or cooled safely. Recording them gives you documented proof that your critical temperature controls are being monitored.
How Probe Checks Work in Culinary Key
Probe checks live on your daily dashboard and support two kinds of entry.
1. Open the feature
From the Daily dashboard, find the Probe check card for the selected Location. If probe checks are enabled, click Submit probe check to open the probe checks page.
2. Record your checks
The probe checks page lets you add entries in two ways:
- Unit Checks — click + Add Unit Check to record a reading against a configured unit (for example a fridge or freezer). Each unit shows its expected safe range (e.g. "Safe: 1°C – 5°C"), and Culinary Key flags any reading that falls outside it.
- Product Checks — click + Add Product Check to record a free-text reading. Each product check captures Product Name, Probe Temp (°C), and the assigned staff member.
You can add up to 50 probe checks per day. Use Remove to delete an entry before saving.
3. Handle out-of-range readings
If a reading falls outside its safe range, Culinary Key requires a follow-up probe check before closing can be submitted. Record the corrective action and the follow-up reading so the audit trail shows the issue was resolved.
4. Save your entries
Click Save Probe Checks to store the day's readings. Each saved check records what was measured, who recorded it, and when.
Note: once closing has been submitted for the day, probe checks are locked to protect the integrity of that day's record.
Best Practices
- Take readings at the right points — during cooking, hot holding, cold storage, and cooling.
- Record accurate temperatures and assign the responsible staff member.
- Act on out-of-range readings immediately and log the follow-up.
- Save entries as you go rather than leaving them until the end of service.
Why It Matters
Consistent probe checks protect your customers, reduce the risk of contamination, and give you timestamped, audit-ready records you can show an inspector in minutes.