The clock, the puddle and the probe
Raw bar rules: how long can oysters sit on ice
Shellfish on an ice bed are on a clock from the moment they land. Here is how the clock works and what a −10 °C cell does to it.
Raw shellfish are served cold and kept cold, and a health inspector will probe the display to check. On ice, the food starts at the temperature of the ice and warms as the bed melts. The pan collects water that has been in contact with the shells for hours.
The practical rules
Keep the display in the cold zone for the whole service. Replace ice before it becomes water, not after. Drain the pan. Do not restack fresh product on old. Log the temperatures.
What changes with a cell
A C1 Pro holds −10 °C for eight hours. The display starts colder than an ice bed and stays there. Nothing melts, so nothing drains, and the tray is dry at close. The probe reads the same number at the end of service as at the start.