What should be the temperature in the refrigerator

There are several signs that the temperature in your refrigerator is not set correctly:

• Food in the fridge freezes or partially freezes;
• The products just extracted from the camera seem warm to you;
• Products quickly deteriorate;
• Condensation forms on the walls of the refrigerator chamber;
• The ice melt in the freezer.

If you notice any of these signs, the first thing you need to do is check whether the temperature mode is set correctly and, if necessary, use a thermometer to check whether the device actually supports the preset settings.

Basic principles

What temperature should be in the refrigerator and freezer?

• The ideal overall temperature of the refrigerator should be between +3 and + 5 ° C.
• The freezer should maintain a temperature of -18 ° C or lower.
• In the freshness zone (if any), the temperature is set to about 0-1 ° C.

After adjusting the thermostat, the desired climate will be established in 6-8 hours

These norms are suitable for storing most of the products, but still not for everyone - some supplies need to be stored at zero temperature, and others - at 5-10 degrees of heat. Moreover, in different areas of the camera the cold is distributed differently, despite the given general regime. Somewhere the climate is warmer, and somewhere - noticeably colder.

• So it turns out that even correctly adjusting the thermostat, we can find in the refrigerator milk with ice cubes, unexpectedly rotten eggs or lettuce leaves, which for some reason turned into a jelly-like liquid.

Of course, the average consumer does not need to know the subtleties of storage conditions for all types of products, but there are some recommendations that are not difficult to remember and apply in life. In this, our small guide will help you in the next section of the article.

See also: How to properly and quickly defrost the refrigerator for 8 steps

How to store foods in the refrigerator correctly?

So, the refrigerating chamber can be conditionally divided into warm and cold zones.

• Cold zones are designed to store perishable products, and warm zones are for vegetables, fruits and everything else.

And now more.

Warm zones

• The door is one of the warmest places in the chamber, here the temperature is set at 10 ° C on the upper shelves and 5 ° C on the lower shelves.

What to store: sauces, mayonnaise, ketchup, soft or processed cheeses, butter, drinks (the products remain slightly soft and ready to eat).

What is undesirable to store: perishable products, such as milk and eggs (despite the fact that the producers are storing the doors for their storage).

• The upper and middle shelves (except for those under the freezer) are always a little warmer (about 7 ° C) than on the lower shelves, since the heat has the property of rising up.

What to store: honey, sausages, confectionery, pastries, soft or processed cheeses, butter, fruits, vegetables.

What is undesirable to store: eggs, meat, fish, poultry, milk, ripe fruits and vegetables.

• Zone for fruits and vegetables - a compartment with a temperature of 8 ° C is found in almost all modern refrigerators.

What to store: most fruits and vegetables (except those shown in the infographics below).

Cold zones

• The freshness zone is the coldest part of the refrigerator (about 0-1 ° C), which is provided in many modern refrigerators.
• Back - after the freshness zone, the rear of the refrigerator is the coldest, so it is closest to the cooling elements.
• Lower shelves - since warm air has the property of rising upwards, this area of ​​the refrigerating chamber is also one of the coldest (2 ° C).

What to store: meat and meat products, fish, milk, cheese, kefir, light cottage cheese and sour cream, vegetables and greens. Also this zone can be used for rapid cooling of drinks).

What is undesirable to store: fruits, salads, butter, soft and processed cheese (here they will become hard as a stone).

It is better to remember the tips for storing food in the fridge, this infographics will help you.

Also materials on the topic:

• How to store vegetables and greens
• How to store fruit at home - general principles, memo and photo ideas
• 8 questions and answers about the storage of honey

How to check the temperature?

Some refrigerators and freezers have an external or internal sensor that accurately displays the temperature in the chambers. However, in many devices such a sensor is not available, and in this case the temperature must be measured independently by a thermometer for a refrigerator. Here's how to do it:

• In the refrigerator: put the thermometer in a glass of water and leave it on the middle shelf for at least 8 hours or night. The door must remain closed all the time.
• In the freezer: put a thermometer between two food bags and leave also for 8 hours.

Thermometer for refrigerator

And some more useful information

1. To ensure that the refrigerator and freezer do not lose efficiency, they should always be filled at least half. If your stock is not enough or not at all (for example, when you are on vacation), then you need to put bottles of water in the chambers.
2. Keep order on the shelves of the fridge / freezer and try to stack the products so that around them there is little free space for air circulation.
3. Never put hot and warm food in the fridge. This can lead, first, to the formation of condensate and ice, and secondly, to overheating and engine failure. Agree, let it be better to spoil the soup than the expensive technique. However, the coolers with No frost system are not afraid of hot products, but still keep in mind that they will increase the power consumption and the load on the motor of the device.
4. If you find that the refrigerator cools the camera unevenly or not well enough, then listen to the sound that the working compressor emits: the serviceable device should hum quietly. If you do not hear this sound, it's time to call a repairman to repair the compressor.
5. If frost or frost forms in your refrigerator / freezer, the appliance must be completely defrosted, wipe the cameras dry, and then connect as usual.