Based on these two factors here's the number your fridge should be set on: If you're always storing plenty of food you need the colder settings (3 to 4). If you're not storing as much choose between 2 and 3. If the temperature is very low, ice will form and it may prevent air circulation.
Here's the short answer: 5 degrees Celsius (41 Fahrenheit) or under. Nasty bacteria thrive at between 8 degrees and 63 degrees, known as the 'danger zone'. This is why the Food Standards Agency recommends keeping your fridge under 5 degrees to be safe.
It is important to understand these optimal settings to ensure your food stays fresh and safe. For the fridge compartment, we recommend maintaining a temperature between 3°C to 5°C to slow bacterial growth and preserve perishable items effectively.
'For most fridges, a mid-range setting—such as 3 or 4 on a scale of 1-5, or 4 or 5 on a scale of 1-9—typically maintains a temperature within the recommended range of 3-5 degrees. ' 'This balance ensures both energy efficiency and food safety, preventing food from spoiling or freezing.
The numbers relate to how much power the fridge is using. So the rule is always the same: the higher the number, the colder the fridge.
The ideal fridge temperature is 3-5 °C (37-41 °F) while freezers should be -18 °C (0 °F) or colder. These temperatures keep your food safe and help to maximise its shelf life. UK food businesses are legally required to keep their fridges below 8 °C (46 °F) and their freezers below -18 °C (0 °F).
Mar 4, 2024. Knowledge
Refrigerators should be set to maintain a temperature of 40 °F (4.4 °C) or below.
Based on these two factors here's the number your fridge should be set on: If you're always storing plenty of food you need the colder settings (3 to 4). If you're not storing as much choose between 2 and 3. If the temperature is very low, ice will form and it may prevent air circulation.
The recommended freezer temperature to keep food safe is at or below 0°F (-18°C), making higher temperatures less reliable for long-term freezer storage. However, freezer temperatures may need to be adjusted by a few degrees to account for factors like location, humidity or outside temperatures.
The ideal fridge temperature is between 0.5°C - 5°C and the best way to keep an eye on your refrigerator temperature is with a non-mercury thermometer in the middle of the fridge.
Maintaining the optimum temperature inside a fridge is important to minimise the growth of bacteria that can cause food poisoning and spoilage: too warm and food poisoning bugs can start to grow. too cold and foods can freeze, which will damage some foods.
It's best to set your temperature gauge a few degrees below that. Most experts recommend that the ideal temperature setting for a refrigerator is between 35-38°F (1.6-3.3°C). This temp ensures food safety by giving a 2-5 degree buffer in case the temperature gauge isn't wholly accurate.
Make sure your refrigerator is set at 4 °C (40 °F) or lower and your freezer at -18 °C (0 °F) or lower. This will keep your food out of the temperature danger zone between 4 °C (40 °F) to 60 °C (140 °F) where bacteria can grow quickly.
Check whether the appliance is cooling correctly.
Measure the temperature with a thermometer in a glass of water placed inside the fridge. If the temperature is between +4 to +5°C, the fridge is working correctly.
If your fridge is too cold, it may be that there is internal damage. A build-up of frost inside a fridge/freezer is caused by an interaction between warm and cold air. A crack in the door seals will also cause your appliance to overcompensate, producing more cold air to keep to fridge temperature stable.
Is there a “correct” temperature for refrigerators and freezers? Yep: A fridge temperature of 37° F will keep fresh food good for as long as possible—with no ice crystals on lettuce or bacteria breeding in raw meats. As for the freezer, a temperature of 0° F will keep foods thoroughly frozen.
Some fridges don't show the temperature but work on a setting that is listed from 1 to 5. The numbers on the fridge's temperature dial indicate the refrigerating power. Therefore, the higher the setting, the cooler the fridge will be. Choosing setting 5 will make your fridge the coldest.
Keep your freezer temperature at or below the recommended range of -18 degrees Celsius (0 degrees Fahrenheit) to ensure safe and proper food storage.
When working properly, the refrigerator temperature should be 40° F (4.4 °C) or below; the freezer, 0° F (-17.8 °C) or lower. After the power comes back on, if you're not sure a particular food is cold enough, take its temperature with a food thermometer.
To ensure that your refrigerator is doing its job, it's important to keep its temperature at 40 °F or below; the freezer should be at 0 °F.
The ideal fridge temperature is between 0°C and 5°C.
However, the average temperature of fridges in the UK is 7°C! This means that a lot of people have their fridge temperature set too high.
The Food Standards Agency advises household fridges to be set at 5 degrees Celsius or below. This is because harmful bacteria grow best in what is known as the 'danger zone' between 8 degrees and 63 degrees.
To store frozen foods at best quality, keep the freezer set to maintain zero (0 °F or -17.8 °C). Some combination refrigerator-freezers cannot keep the freezer air that cold. As long as foods are solidly frozen, they will stay safe.
It depends of the temperature scale which it is being used. A reading of 4 deg Celsius would be chilly, but above freezing point of water; a reading of 4 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale would be very cold and well below the freezing point of water.
The "Danger Zone" (40 °F-140 °F)
This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." That's why the Meat and Poultry Hotline advises consumers to never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours. If the temperature is above 90 °F, food should not be left out more than 1 hour.