What Are The Ideal Fridge and Freezer Temperatures?

Have you ever experienced the situation when your meals are half frozen in your fridge? Things are even worse if the food is lukewarm in it. So, it would be good for you to be aware of temperatures ideal for your refrigerating appliances. In case your refrigerator makes cheese out of your milk, freezes your tomatoes or oranges, or makes your salad wilt, it would be good to set the appropriate temperature in it or see if it is operates properly.

Any refrigerator works to inhibit the rapid growth of bacteria. Any freezer ensures your food safety by temperatures so low that bacteria cannot grow any further. In case your cooling devices fail to maintain the appropriate temperature, they are not good enough to cope with the designated task.

Perfect Fridge Temperature

Bacteria are present everywhere and in all food. However, think of the bacteria in this perspective: there are good and bad bacteria. Good bacteria are used in food production to make your meals taste better and are often found many kinds of food like sourdough bread, live beer, yogurt, and others. Food that contains such bacteria is safe to eat, and on the contrary, if you see mold on your food, it is a sign of bad bacteria growing on it. Surely, you don’t want to eat it.

Any food will inevitably spoil if not stored in proper conditions. Microscopic bacteria are constantly feeding on our food. However, when you refrigerate your food, you substantially slow down their growth. The UK Food Standards Agency confirms that the perfect temperature for your food stored in the refrigerating appliances is up to 8°C. Keep in mind that if you often open and close your fridge, the temperature will rise in it. Therefore, make sure your fridge is adjusted at a temperature from 1 to 5 °C.

What are the numbers on a temperature control dial?

Most fridges do not indicate the current temperature on the control knob. They rather have symbolic numbers from 1 to 5. All these numbers indicate is the refrigerating power. Consequently, the higher the setting you choose, the cooler your meals in the cooling device will remain. If you set the dial at number 5, your fridge compartment will make your food the coldest. If you want to keep track of the exact temperature condition in your fridge compartment, all you have to do is to keep a thermometer on its middle shelf. You can also read about other ways to keep your cooling device temperature in constant check.

Author: Jacob Dillard