What Temperature Should My Fridge Freezer Be?

With the UK having just experienced a scorching heat wave with temperatures reaching over 30 degrees, our fridge freezers have become our best friends in offering us the perfect ice-cold solutions to keep us cool. Not only is it a godsend for those warm hot days in the summer months, but a fridge freezer is one of the most important kitchen appliances to have as it is constantly working around the clock, day and night to safely preserve all your important foods and refreshments that you want to keep frozen within the freezer, or at the standard temperature within the fridge.

One of the most important reasons to keep fridges and freezers at the right temperatures is to prevent harmful bacteria from developing before you choose to eat your food. A fridge will serve to slow down the forming of bad bacteria, whereas a freezer will slow it down much further than a fridge. Below we will discuss what the right temperature should be for your fridge freezer appliance.

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The ideal temperature for a fridge

Foods that require refrigeration should be put in the fridge as soon as you get back from your food shop. A good guideline to remember is that foods that require refrigeration can be left out for two hours at room temperature. Common food items that this applies to include poultry, meat, eggs, seafoods, and leftover foods and takeout meals.

The ideal temperature for a fridge is 37°F (3°C) and 40°F (5°C). When you make any adjustments to the temperature of your fridge it will take 24 hours until the temperature comes into place.

How do you know what temperature your fridge is?

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. However, if you want to measure the temperature accurately, place a thermometer in a glass of water on the middle of your refrigerator shelf and leave it overnight.

The ideal freezer temperature

Many people think that a freezer will completely halt the forming of bacteria, yet as we have mentioned earlier in this article, a freezer will just slow down the forming of bacteria but at a much longer time scale compared to a fridge. 

You should know that the longer you store your food in the freezer, the quality will decrease the longer the food is in the freezer. Things like tenderness, flavour, aroma, juiciness, and colour can all be affected. To check the temperature of your freezer, the same applies just as your fridge, place a thermometer in one of the draws and leave overnight for 8 hours and simply check the reading.

The ideal temperature of your freezer should be 0°F (-18°C). 

Why is my fridge freezer at the wrong temperature?

 If you have checked to see whether your fridge freezer is at the correct temperatures and isn’t at the optimal temperature, it could be down to a few different reasons. Commonly, poor organization within a fridge can stop the needed airflow within the fridge which will mean that different parts of the fridge will be colder than other parts.

If a seal is faulty and not fitted properly, the cold air will be able to escape easily and if your fridge has a built-in thermostat that is broken, then this could be affecting the temperature.

Signs that you may need a new fridge freezer

Knowing whether or not you need a new fridge freezer can sometimes be tricky to detect, but here are some of the common signs that your fridge freezer is faulty and could indeed warrant a new upgrade:

• Food within the fridge is becoming frozen. 
• Food is warm when you are taking it out of the fridge. 
• Ice is melting in your freezer and is starting to puddle on the floor.
• Food is going off before it reaches the expiration date.
• Build up of condensation either on the inside or on the outside of your fridge
• Ice is beginning to form on the inside of your fridge walls 

Why you should replace your fridge freezer

A faulty and deteriorating kitchen appliance like a fridge freezer will use much more power compared to a new and updated fridge freezer. If you have noticed the common signs that your fridge freezer is faulty and you have noticed that your energy bills have been slightly higher than normal, then this is an indication that your fridge freezer is draining power. As we have mentioned earlier, a fridge freezer is constantly working and is the appliance that will use up the most energy in your home.

New fridges are becoming more energy-efficient making use of the latest advancements in technology. The more energy-efficient an appliance is, the more money you will save in the long run, which makes buying a new fridge freezer a sensible investment. 

Here at Howards Electrical we have a fantastic range of the latest market-leading fridge freezers, from integrated to free-standing which are highly energy efficient with many containing an energy rating of A++. Our prices are the most competitive in Stoke-On-Trent for the latest fridge freezer and other kitchen appliances. To ensure that we keep providing the most competitive prices for kitchen appliances In Stoke-On-Trent we offer a price match guarantee on all of our appliances. For refrigeration in Stoke On Trent, call us on 01782 639333.