Final answer:
The next step after initially cooking partially cooked food is to cool it rapidly to minimize bacterial growth and ensure food safety.
Step-by-step explanation:
After initially cooking partially cooked food, the next step is to cool it rapidly. This is essential in ensuring that the food is brought down to a safe temperature quickly to minimize the risk of bacterial growth. Foods meant to be eaten hot should be kept hot until served, and foods meant to be eaten cold should be kept refrigerated until served.
In the case where food needs to be stored for later use, rapid cooling prevents it from staying at temperatures that are conducive to bacterial growth, which are between 4 and 60 degrees Celsius (40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit). It's often recommended to rapidly cool large quantities of food, such as homemade soup, by putting the pot in an ice water bath before storing it in the refrigerator; this is to ensure that the food cools evenly and quickly.