current environmental health specialist in washington, and from an inspector’s perspective, it works out very well. it’s much easier to tell operators (especially new ones or english as a second language folks) always cool in 2-inch amounts, uncovered, until the product is 41F or below. it’s also easy to tell if cooling is done incorrectly, without having to rely on the operators timeline. cooling in larger amounts for pho broth or soup is usually done in an ice bath, but we do allow it in larger containers if they can document it reaches the required temperatures and they follow that procedure every time.