The back. The biggest source of heat in a fridge is the warm air that rushes in every time you open the door. Cold air sinks, so it collects at the bottom and, in a fridge freezer, the bottom shelves will be coldest.
Typically, the back and bottom of the fridge is the coldest part. This is because cold air sinks down, and the back of the fridge is farthest from the door. It's different for fridges with ice-making compartments at the top, which make the top colder.
The salad drawer, or bottom shelf of your fridge, should be used to store fruit, vegetables and salad vegetables that have been washed prior to storage. Make sure that your fruit, vegetables and salad are wrapped in something, like paper or plastic with air holes, to keep them protected from any contamination.
TEMPERATURE VARIATION >>
Hot air rises, making the top shelf the warmest spot in the fridge – good for fruit, vegetables and less perishable items. Because cold air settles, the bottom shelf is generally the coldest place in the fridge and is ideal for storing meats, fish and poultry.
The Fridge Doors
The doors are the warmest area of the fridge and should be reserved for foods that are most resistant to spoiling. Keep condiments, which are generally rich in preservatives like salt and vinegar, pasturised juices, and other foods that can stand up to temperature fluctuations here.
As a general rule, raw food should always be stored below everything else in the fridge, so cooked food should be kept above it if you have both in your fridge. This is mainly to prevent the raw food, meat in particular, from dripping down onto any other ingredient, which could cause food poisoning.
Cold air sinks, so it collects at the bottom and, in a fridge freezer, the bottom shelves will be coldest. But in a fridge with an ice-making compartment at the top, it will be the top. Frost-free fridges circulate the air and have much more even temperature distribution.
Refrigerator Storage: Refrigerate eggs at 40°F or less. Store them in their original carton on an inside shelf and away from pungent foods. The temperature on an inside shelf remains more constant than one on the door, which is opened and closed frequently.
But where in the fridge matters. Milk, no matter if it's whole or skim, is best kept at around 37°F, which, depending on your fridge, usually means somewhere in the back on a lower shelf. You may need to store the milk on its side so that it fits easily. Avoid keeping milk in one of the door's shelves.
The coldest part of the fridge should be between 0 degrees Celsius and 5 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit and 41 degrees Fahrenheit). You could use a probe thermometer to check if food is being kept hot (above 63 degrees Celsius) or cold (below 8 degrees Celsius).
The most important practice to save time in the kitchen is proper meal planning. Here's why: 1. Plan your meals ahead of time: By deciding what you will cook for the week or even a few days in advance, you can streamline your grocery shopping and reduce the time spent figuring out what to make each day.
Store raw food like meat, poultry, fish, sausages, bacon etc., in the bottom part of the fridge so that juices cannot drip on foods below. 2. Store ready-to-eat foods such as cooked meats, pies and dairy products such as cheese, butter, cream and yoghurt in the top part of the fridge.
Beware of the door, the warmest place in the fridge
The warmest area of your refrigerator is the door, since it experiences a wider fluctuation in temperature every time it is opened. (Depending on your eating or even decision-making habits, this can happen more often than just meal times.)
Store dairy products in the coldest part of the refrigerator, toward the back and away from the door. Using proper techniques to store cheese and yogurt, as well as other dairy products, can extend their shelf life and prevent the consumption of harmful bacteria.
Even with a superior airflow system, a refrigerator or freezer will be colder at the bottom. Warm air rises, so the upper shelves will always be slightly warmer than the lower portion of the unit.
The Door. This is the warmest part of the fridge and subject to the most temperature fluctuations, so avoid storing highly perishable foods on the door. Even though many refrigerator doors have an egg compartment, it's generally not a good idea to store eggs there; keep them in the carton on a shelf, instead.
Deli meats and cheeses, often consumed without further cooking, should be stored in a manner that minimizes the risk of contamination. The top shelf, a zone typically separated from raw items, is an ideal spot for these products.
Processing eggs in Europe
One, various countries in Europe vaccinate chickens against salmonella beforehand. In addition, eggs are not washed like they are in the United States, so the cuticle is left on the shell. As a result, eggs can be stored at room temperature instead of needing to be refrigerated.
The reason a refrigerator is bad for bread: When bread is stored in a cold (but above freezing) environment, this recrystallization, and therefore staling, happens much faster than at warmer temperatures. Freezing, however, dramatically slows the process down. So that's the science in a nutshell.
When you're keeping your butter in the fridge, keep it away from the door because that's the warmest spot. Drawers are a better spot – as long as your butter isn't next to stinkers like onions or garlic as it'll absorb the flavours. If your butter is going to be around for more than a few days, fridge it.
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.
The Coldest Spot: The rear center is the coldest spot in a freezer. This is the place to store your ice cream maker's canister so it's thoroughly frozen and ready for the next batch of homemade ice cream!