Your fridge freezer is possibly the most important appliance in your home but do you know its ideal temperature? Is 7 degrees Celsius cold enough for a fridge? Or is it 5 degrees Celsius?
Your fridge should be set to between 3°C (37°F) and 5°C (40°F)
Your freezer should be set to 0°C (-18°F).
It usually takes about 24 hours for any changes to take full effect.
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Here are a few other key questions you might have about your fridge…
Is 1 or 5 colder on a fridge?
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What do the numbers on the temperature dial of your fridge mean? This is a tough one especially as a lot of fridge freezer models don’t always make it clear. You can try looking in the user manual but that’s not always helpful. So if the numbers go from 1 to 5 which is the coldest? Is it temperature or freezing power?
With pretty much all fridge freezers the numbers 1 to 5 indicate the refrigerant power with the higher the number, the colder the machine will be.
What is the ideal number between 1 to 5 for your fridge?
Generally speaking the more food you have in your fridge, the higher the number will need to be. If you have a lot of food 3 or 4 may be appropriate. If you don’t tend to store a much food then 1 or 2 may suffice.
Remember that a lower temperature doesn’t necessarily mean better food storage conditions. If the temperature is too low for the amount of food you have in the fridge you could frost burn your food. Although not harmful, the food may not necessarily have the same taste and texture.
In addition if the temperature is too high, ice may form in the fridge which could cause you problem with running it. When ice forms it could prevent air circulation.
How do I know what temperature my fridge is?
The easiest way to find out what the temperature of your fridge is, is to use a thermometer.
For the fridge you can – place a thermometer in a glass of water in the fridge, leave it overnight and then check the temperature.
Why is my fridge not cold enough?
If your fridge is not cold enough you may be finding that your food is going off well before its use by date.
It usually means that the unit struggling to keep the temperature low enough to chill your food sufficiently.
This may be due to issues with the condenser coils or perhaps an overworked motor.
This is an issue that may need an engineer or may mean you need to consider buying a new fridge.
Here are 8 signs that you need a new fridge freezer.
Where is the best place to defrost food?
There are a few options for places to defrost food; the fridge, kitchen counter, defrost setting on the microwave or even running it under cold water.
However, the best place to defrost your food is the fridge. This is because the whole time the food is being defrosted its temperature is being kept outside the “Danger Zone”. The UK Food Standards Agency states that “bacteria usually grow in the ‘Danger Zone’ between 8°C and 60°C. Below 8°C, growth is stopped or significantly slowed down. Above 60°C the bacteria start to die.”
Make sure you plan enough time for the food to thaw as it can typically take up to day. A good way to do it is to take food out of the freezer the night before you need it or in the morning if you’ll need it in the evening.