What Is the Ideal Temperature for Your Refrigerator?
Have you noticed that your milk is frozen? Does meat spoil quickly? Your refrigerator is probably set at the wrong temperature. The FDA recommends keeping refrigerator temperatures at 40° F (4° C) or colder and freezer temperatures at 0° F (-18° C) to keep food fresh longer and prevent the growth of bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. poisoning past illnesses. Here are some more tips to help you preserve perishable foods.
Optimal temperature for the refrigerator
Avoid the “danger zone”. If you want to make sure your food doesn’t grow harmful bacteria that could make you sick, keep it away from the “danger zone,” where it’s cold but not cold enough for bacteria to thrive. According to Good Housekeeping , the ideal refrigerator temperature is between 35°F (1.6°C) and 38°F (3.3°C).
How to control the temperature in the refrigerator
Buy a refrigerator thermometer. “I never trust the temperature readings reported by the device; I’ve had enough ovens with hot spots to always be careful,” advises a user on the food safety forum on Stack Exchange. “In our refrigerator, the vegetable drawer regularly freezes and partially freezes our vegetables, and using a thermometer, I was able to determine why: it is significantly colder than the 35°F that the rest of the refrigerator is set at. At least 5-8 degrees.” Move the thermometer around to check for cold and warm spots and organize your meals accordingly.
Ball thermometers, which have a red liquid that moves up and down, are easy to read, reliable, and you don’t need to change batteries. If you don’t have one, you can still check to see if your refrigerator is too cold. Place a container of water in the back of the refrigerator on a low shelf (usually the coldest part) for about 24 hours. If it freezes, that’s a sign that you should raise the temperature a couple degrees.
Keep your refrigerator full
If you open your refrigerator and freezer regularly, keeping them stocked can help maintain a consistent temperature. “With an empty refrigerator, every time you open and close the door, you let most of the air inside the refrigerator pass through, replacing cooled air with warmer air that then has to be cooled again,” say the refrigerator enthusiasts on The Naked Scientists. “A full refrigerator not only requires less air to circulate and re-cool, but all other chilled food remains in the refrigerator. Having a lot of food in the refrigerator can also reduce air flow, meaning that every time the door opens and then closes, there is even less air exchange.”
But don’t overdo it
Yes, keeping your refrigerator and freezer stocked is more efficient, but packing it too tightly limits circulation and airflow, which will ultimately force them to work harder to maintain the desired temperature, according to Hunker . Another risk: Too much food in the refrigerator can block the vents, leading to a host of temperature and humidity problems and potentially causing some foods to spoil faster.
Check the vents
More on this last point: air must flow freely between the freezer and refrigerator to maintain a constant temperature. If you see frost in your refrigerator, make sure there isn’t a stray loaf of bread near the vent blocking air circulation. You should be able to find the manual for your specific refrigerator model online .
Know the coldest spots in your refrigerator
“The temperature inside your refrigerator can change significantly during normal use,” says Stack Exchange’s Hobodave. “The coldest parts of your refrigerator are the back and bottom. At the back, because there is a cooling element, and at the bottom, because warm air rises. If items you don’t want frozen freeze, move them away from the back of the refrigerator.”
Don’t put things that could get damaged at the door.
The refrigerator door is probably one of the warmest areas of the refrigerator and the place where the temperature fluctuates the most, so don’t store anything there that could go bad. “The temperature of food on your refrigerator door can easily reach 59°F (15°C), and this happens often,” says Hobodave. “If you put milk and eggs in the door, their shelf life will be significantly reduced.” In fact, speaking with Well and Good, nutritionist Lisa DeFazio recommends never storing milk, eggs, dairy products or meat under your door. Instead, store these foods in the back of the refrigerator, where the temperature is cooler and more stable.