Every appliance in CrewByte has its own target temperature range. These are set once in Settings → Equipment and then used automatically whenever a reading is taken.
Readings can arrive in two ways:
- From a temperature item inside a checklist
- As a one-off spot check from the Temperatures screen
Both methods create a permanent record that includes the time, the person who logged it, the appliance, the reading, and any action taken.
Setting up your appliances
Go to Settings → Equipment and add every fridge, freezer, walk-in, cold room and hot-holding unit that you regularly check.
For each appliance give it a clear name and set a realistic target range. Accurate naming matters — “Walk-in 1” is more useful than “Fridge” when you have several.
Sensible default ranges
CrewByte suggests the following starting ranges based on Food Standards Agency guidance for England, Wales and Northern Ireland:
- Fridges and chillers: 0–5°C
- Freezers: −25 to −18°C
- Hot holding: 63°C minimum
- Cooked core temperature: 75°C minimum
These are only defaults. Always check them against your own food safety management system or HACCP plan. Your documented procedures are the authority, not the suggested figures.
Logging a temperature
When you complete a temperature item (or take a spot check), enter the number shown on the probe or display. CrewByte immediately compares it with the target range for that appliance.
If the reading is within range it is simply recorded as a pass. If it is outside the range it is flagged as a breach.
When a reading is out of range
An out-of-range reading is highlighted straight away and an Issue is automatically created.
The person logging the temperature is asked to record what they did about it. This corrective action is stored directly alongside the reading — not in a separate book or notebook.
Good corrective actions are specific and factual:
- “Stock moved to walk-in, engineer called, job raised #4832”
- “Food discarded, new batch cooked, probe checked in iced water”
- “Door left open — closed and re-checked after 20 minutes, now 3.8°C”
Vague notes such as “Will monitor” or “Sorted” are not useful in an inspection.
The combination of the reading, the exact time, the person who took it, and the action taken is exactly what an Environmental Health Officer looks for.
Viewing temperatures
The Temperatures screen shows a live board of all appliances for the current site. You can see the latest reading, whether it is in range, and how long ago it was taken.
Managers can quickly spot which units need attention without opening individual checklists.
Getting the temperature log out
Go to Reports → Export.
Choose the date range you need and export either:
- A CSV file for your own records or further analysis
- A printable audit pack that includes the readings and any attached photos
This is the pack you hand over when an inspector asks for last month’s fridge or freezer records. Because every reading already carries its corrective action, there is nothing extra to prepare.
Practical tips
- Add all your main appliances in the first session — it only takes a few minutes and makes every future check more useful.
- Encourage the team to log temperatures as they take them rather than batching them at the end of a section.
- If a probe reading looks wrong, check the probe in iced water or boiling water and note that you did so.
- Review open temperature-related issues at the end of each day or shift.
A temperature log is only as strong as the action that follows a breach. CrewByte keeps the reading and the action together so the record stays complete and defensible.
Once your equipment list is set up and the team is logging readings on shift, temperature control becomes one of the easiest parts of your daily records to maintain and to prove.