Food Safety Fridge And Freezer Temperatures

Keep the refrigerator temperature at or.

Food safety fridge and freezer temperatures.

The short time limits for home refrigerated foods will help keep them from spoiling or becoming dangerous to eat. At 5 c or colder and at freezing temperatures many bacteria that cause food poisoning and food spoilage either don t grow or their growth may be slowed down. Maintaining the ideal fridge and freezer temperature is important. These occur when the food is not sealed properly causing dry spots on food.

The recommended freezer temperature to keep your food safe is at or below 0 f 18 c but your freezer may need to be set higher or lower depending on its environment and other factors. Food storage refers to food which is kept it the fridge freezer pantry or in some instances a warming receptacle. There are very specific rules regarding the temperatures that food must be stored at cooked to and reheated to and if not followed the risk of becoming ill as a result of contamination increases. It can also be caused from too cold temperature settings in the freezer.

Also when putting food away don t crowd the refrigerator or freezer so tightly that air can t circulate. The typical freezer factory setting on whirlpool refrigerators is a great starting point at the recommended 0 f 18 c. Adjust the freezer settings as necessary to get the temperature in a safe range after making adjustments to either the freezer or refrigerator check the thermometer s temperature readout after five hours repeating the adjustment process until the reading is in the ideal range. Storing perishable foods and food ingredients in the fridge or freezer is primarily to prevent food poisoning or to slow down spoilage and loss of food quality.

A refrigerator thermometer may also be used to measure the freezer temperature which should be 0 f or 18 c. Keep your appliances at the proper temperatures. Don t overfill your fridge. The perfect temperature range for a freezer is at or slightly below 0 f and never more than 2 f.

Use an appliance thermometer to be sure the temperature is consistently 40 f or below and the freezer temperature is 0 f or below. Leaving space allows air to circulate and maintains the set temperature. The bottom line on fridge freezer temperatures. Fridge at a safe temperature.

If your fridge is looking full take out items that don t need to be chilled such as beer. The guidelines for freezer storage are for quality only frozen foods stored continuously at 0 f or below can be kept indefinitely.