The kitchen close-down kit.
The inspector has gone home. The bacteria haven’t.
Three practical sheets for the fridge door, the cupboard or the next batch of leftovers. Free to download, with no email address or account required.
Made to go with “They’re Here”: food-safety lessons from a chef.
Grab the whole kit
Closing checklist, leftover labels and fridge reference. Choose your paper size; each sheet fits one page.
Read or print the web version →Or pick a sheet
The two-minute close-down
A one-page check for cooling food, labelling leftovers, raw-food storage, cloths, boards and cleaning chemicals.
Tick the boxes as you close the kitchen. Space for the date and your fridge temperature.
Read or print this sheet →A lid is not a label
Eight cut-out labels with room for the food name, cooked or opened date and time, use-or-freeze date and notes.
Print at actual size on plain paper. Not a template for pre-cut adhesive labels.
Read or print this sheet →Give leftovers a plan
A one-page fridge reference covering shelf organisation, cooling, reheating, rice and homemade garlic-in-oil.
The essential reminders, kept separate for foods with different storage requirements.
Read or print this sheet →A few useful details
Use the A4 or US Letter file that matches your printer. These are low-ink designs on white paper. The labels are for cutting out and attaching to containers, not for a particular adhesive-label product.
For home kitchens, using UK Food Standards Agency guidance as the everyday baseline. Homemade garlic-in-oil follows the specifically identified US National Center for Home Food Preservation advice. Follow product instructions and shorter food-specific limits. A handwritten date cannot establish that food was cooled or stored safely.
Guidance checked: 21 October 2026. Source links are included in every sheet.