How Cold Should A Fridge Be? A Fridge Maintenance Guide
What temperature should a fridge be?
Fridges are great at keeping your food and drink fresh for longer, working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to ensure that your food and drink stays cool. We all know how essential fridges are to our everyday lives and without them, we would be making regular visits to the supermarket every other day to collect fresh produce and wouldn't be able to enjoy any of our food and drink products nice and chilled.
The perfect fridge temperature is not just a made-up arbitrary number but something that is important to ensure safety, freshness and of course tastiness in all of your food and drink. By ensuring your fridge is set to the optimal temperature you can unlock a safe and flavour-some culinary experience from all your food and drink that is stored within your fridge. From delicate dairy products to juicy fruits, knowing the correct temperature of a fridge can extend its shelf life and reduce waste, ultimately saving you money in the process and another trip to the supermarket!
It is vital that your fridge is performing at the optimal temperature because if your fridge is too hot or too cold it can lead to harmful bacteria developing on your food and drink causing you to have to throw out and waste the products you have spent your hard-earned money on. Furthermore, it could cause serious risks to you and your loved ones' health if you are to continue using and consuming these products if they are not stored at the correct temperature. A fridge will also help in slowing down the process of bad bacteria forming thus not only helping save you money but also benefit your health all by a few simple fridge maintenance tasks.
Throughout this article, we will discuss the optimal temperature at which you should keep your fridge to ensure that your food and drink stay fresh and don't develop any nasty and harmful bacteria that can cause you health issues. Furthermore, we will show you how to change the temperature of your fridge so you can keep your food and drink fresh for longer with these simple steps.
The ideal fridge temperature
The recommended fridge temperature is between 3 degrees (37oF) and 5 degrees (40oF). Therefore if you are looking to ensure that your fridge is set to the correct temperature for optimal freshness, please adjust it to the recommended temperature.
Please note that it takes at least 24 hours for your fridge to fully adjust and acclimatise to any change you make so don't be worried if you do not see an instant change in the temperature of your fridge once you have adjusted the appliance to the correct settings.
How to measure the temperature of your fridge?
Some fridges in the modern day provide you with a reading of the temperature of your fridge however this can not always be reliable particularly if your fridge was previously causing you issues in the past and you are not sure what is wrong.
The best way to measure the temperature of your fridge to ensure that it is performing at the optimal temperature to keep your food and drink fresh is by using the old-school method of a thermometer. by using the following steps you can easily identify the temperature of your fridge and whether it has been set to the correct temperature range:
Grab a thermometer and a glass
Place the glass under the tap and fill with water.
Grab the thermometer and place it into the glass of water.
Leave the glass and thermometer in the fridge overnight.
Check the temperature reading the first time you open the door.
How to change the temperature of your fridge
Now that you have gauged the temperature of your fridge if the temperature is not set to the recommended level of 3 to 5 degrees you will need to change it. Please keep in mind that the following steps may vary depending on the model and make of your fridge and if you are stuck, please look back at the user manual that came alongside your fridge.
Locate the fridge temperature control panel - Most fridges have a temperature control gauge inside the fridge. It is usually located at the top or on the side of the fridge.
Understand the fridge settings - The temperature control may have numbers or letters representing different temperature levels. For example, "1" or "C" might be the warmest setting whilst "A" or "5" may be the coldest. Whatever brand of fridge you have, this will differ so please make sure to check with the user manual on the type of format they follow.
Adjust the temperature - Turn the dial on the gauge or press the appropriate buttons as directed by the user manual to adjust the temperature of the fridge to the desired recommended level.
Wait and check - After making the temperature adjustment to your fridge, please wait at least 24 hours for your fridge to adjust to the set temperature. You can do this by checking the fridge thermometer or by using the glass of water trick mentioned earlier in the blog.
Signs you may need a new fridge
If your fridge is causing you issues and you feel that something is off, you more than likely are right and will need a new fridge. That being said, here are some of the most common signs that you will require a new fridge:
Your food is warm when you take it out of the fridge.
Your food is frozen when you take it out of the fridge.
Ice is beginning to form on your fridge walls.
Food is not staying fresh and going off before reaching its use-by date.
Build up condensation either on the inside or outside of your fridge.
If you are experiencing any of the following issues it means that there is a problem with your fridge. It is recommended that you get this checked by a qualified appliance repair expert who can inspect and fix the issue or if your fridge is older than 12 years old it may be time to think about purchasing a new fridge.
Conclusion
You should now have a good idea of what the perfect temperature is for the inside of your fridge so that you can ensure that your food and drink stay chilled and fresher for longer without the risk of any harmful bacteria.
Ensure that you set your fridge to the recommended temperature of 3 to 5 degrees to keep your food fresh for longer meaning you won't have to waste or throw any products that you have spent money on before the use-by date. Instead, you can be certain that your food and drink stored in your fridge is exempt from any harmful bacteria and you will be able to make sure that your food and drink stays fresher for longer providing you with tastier and more fulfilling meals, drinks and snacks.
If you live in the Peterborough area and you are looking for a new fridge that will be able to keep your food and drink fresher for longer, head to Kellyvision for all your refrigeration needs and requirements. We stock the latest fridges from leading brands such as Bosch, IceKing and Liebherr all at an affordable price. Browse our fridges online today or speak with a member of the team on 01733 208787 and order your new fridge today!