Can you show me how you take a temperature?

EHO Story 📩

There’s a moment during inspections that I’ve seen many, many times.

And it usually starts quite well.

I’m in the kitchen, talking to the chef, and we get onto temperature control.

I ask about their records.

They’ve got them.

Good.

I ask where the probe is.

Someone goes off to find it.

Even better, it has batteries in it.

It switches on.

Still looking promising.

At this point, a lot of businesses probably think they’re doing well.

And to be fair, compared to the places where no one can find the probe at all, they are.

But then comes the part I’m really interested in.

I ask:

“Can you show me how you use it to check the temperature of a food item?”

They walk over to the food.

They pick up the probe.

And go straight in.

That’s the moment.

Because they’ve already missed one of the key things I’m looking for.

Can you guess what that is?

Food Safety Tip ✅

Before a temperature probe goes anywhere near food, it should be cleaned and disinfected.

That’s the first thing I’m looking for.

(the easiest way to do this is with food-safe probe wipes)

Because if this step is skipped, the probe itself can become a contamination risk.

A simple reminder for your team:

• Put it back somewhere clean and protected
• Clean and disinfect the probe thermometer before use
• Then take the temperature properly
• Clean and disinfect the probe thermometer again after use

The Serious Lesson

This is what inspections really show.

Not just whether you’ve got a system.

But whether your team actually follow it.

Because having a probe isn’t the same as using it safely.

And this is one of those small steps that gets skipped… until someone’s watching.