Food Safety Fridge And Freezer Temperatures

Keep the refrigerator temperature at or.

Food safety fridge and freezer temperatures.

The perfect temperature range for a freezer is at or slightly below 0 f and never more than 2 f. It can also be caused from too cold temperature settings in the freezer. The bottom line on fridge freezer temperatures. 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.

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. The guidelines for freezer storage are for quality only frozen foods stored continuously at 0 f or below can be kept indefinitely. These occur when the food is not sealed properly causing dry spots on food. The typical freezer factory setting on whirlpool refrigerators is a great starting point at the recommended 0 f 18 c.

Don t overfill your fridge. This will make room for the items that do need to be chilled for safety reasons such as raw ready to eat and cooked food. A refrigerator thermometer may also be used to measure the freezer temperature which should be 0 f or 18 c. 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.

If your fridge is looking full take out items that don t need to be chilled such as beer. Leaving space allows air to circulate and maintains the set temperature. Food could cause the. Use an appliance thermometer to be sure the temperature is consistently 40 f or below and the freezer temperature is 0 f or below.

Fridge at a safe temperature. Maintaining the ideal fridge and freezer temperature is important. 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. Food storage refers to food which is kept it the fridge freezer pantry or in some instances a warming receptacle.

Follow the guidelines below for storing food in the refrigerator and freezer. Also when putting food away don t crowd the refrigerator or freezer so tightly that air can t circulate.