Learn more. 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.
Your refrigerator should be set at or below 40°F (4°C) to keep food safe and prevent bacterial growth. Ideally, the temperature for the refrigerator is around 37°F (3°C). For the freezer, the temperature should be 0°F (-18°C) or lower.
For the fridge compartment, we recommend maintaining a temperature between 3°C to 5°C to slow bacterial growth and preserve perishable items effectively. Similarly, for the freezer compartment, it is best to set the temperature at -18°C or lower to freeze food solid and maintain its quality over longer periods.
This ensures any bacteria present in the food will not grow and multiply, keeping the food safe to eat for longer periods of time. However, most freezer manufacturers recommend keeping the appliance between 0 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal performance.
The recommended temperature for a refrigerator is around 37 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (3 to 4 degrees Celsius). This range helps prevent bacterial growth and keeps your food fresh.
The ideal fridge temperature is between 37°F (3°C) and 40°F (5°C). This will keep the fridge's energy usage to a minimum and, more importantly, help food stay fresh and safe to eat. Keeping food chilled helps to slow down the growth of harmful bacteria.
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.
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.
So on a refrigerator what setting is coldest (1 to 5)?
On every fridge the rules for the coldest settings are always the following: The numbers on the fridge's temperature dial indicate refrigerant power. The higher the number goes the colder the fridge will maintain. Setting it to 5 will make your fridge the coldest.
To keep your food fresh and safe, set your freezer to 0°F (-18°C) or lower.
Learn more. 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.
Your fridge should ideally be kept at about 3 to 5 degrees. Your freezer should obviously be a lot colder though — set to around -18 degrees. These temperatures will help slow down the growth of bacteria and keep your food fresh — without using up too much energy.
Temperature settings set too low
The optimum refrigerator temperature range for storing fresh food is about 37°F, which is the temperature at which many fridges are factory set—however a range of 33-40°F is generally considered okay, but food may freeze if your fridge is colder than that.
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.
Refrigerators work to keep your food at a cool—but not freezing—temperature. Overly frosty temperatures in your refrigerator can be due to a few possible causes, including blocked air vents, incorrect temperature settings, leaky door seals, issues with your built-in ice maker and more.
You should keep your fridge temperature set at 3°C/37.4F and your freezer set at -19°C/-2.2F (or -18°C/-0.4F, depending on your model) all year-round.
It is recommended that a 4-star freezer needs to operate at -18 degrees Celsius as a minimum. This will prevent bacteria from growing and will keep your frozen food fresher for longer. Whilst it is recommended to keep your freezer below -18 degrees Celsius, it is important to not drop the temperature too low.
If it's set too cold, set it higher and give it a day to adjust. Be sure to only adjust the temperature in relatively low increments, checking with a thermometer every 24 hours.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that your refrigerator temperature should be at or below 40°F, and your freezer temperature at or below 0°F. However, the ideal refrigerator temperature is actually lower. Aim to stay between 35° and 38°F (or 1.7 to 3.3°C).
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the best temperature for your freezer is 0°F (-18°C) or below. If your freezer has a built-in thermometer, it's easy to set and track the temperature.
To find out what temperature your fridge is at, most modern fridges will have a numerical dial setting from 1-5, where the numbers represent the power of the refrigerator. So the number 5 will allow your fridge to be working at the coldest temperature.
A 4 star freezer in an American style appliance, needs to be -18 degrees Celsius minimum but typically can operate down to -25 degrees centigrade.
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.
Freezer Temperatures
The temperature of a freezer should be set at 0 degrees Fahrenheit so everything stays very cold. A freezer should be cold enough to keep food frozen and preserve it until they are ready to be cooked or reheated.
'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.