Keeping foods chilled properly helps them last longer and stay fresher.
Kelsey Hansen, Prop Stylist: Natalie Ghazali
The refrigerator is a miracle of modern food preservation.
Alternatively, freezers can keep foods fresh and deter bacterial growth for monthsor sometimes even indefinitely.
Photo:Kelsey Hansen, Prop Stylist: Natalie Ghazali
When food temps begin to climb above a certain point, bacteria start to multiply exponentially.
Not every one of those bacteria is badbut not every germ is good, either.
What Temperature Should a Refrigerator Be?
Kelsey Hansen, Prop Stylist: Natalie Ghazali
However, the ideal refrigerator temperature is actually lower.
Aim to stay between 35 and 38F (or 1.7 to 3.3C).
What Temperature Should a Freezer Be?
Julia Bohan
Want to know what temperature your freezer should be?
Refer to our temperature chartfor a printable guidethat you’re able to hang on your refrigerator.
How to Measure an Accurate Temperature
Unfortunately, not all fridge temp gauges are accurate.
It’s not uncommon for refrigerators to be a few degrees off the mark you set.
What’s more, some refrigerators don’t display temps at all.
Without a thermometer, you might’t know what those milestones translate to in real degrees.
it’s possible for you to purchase an inexpensive freestanding appliance thermometer online or at any home store.
Place the thermometer in your fridge or freezer and leave it for 20 minutes.
Then check the reading.
Are you close to the ideal temperature, or even the recommended one?
Let food cool before storing it.
Check the door seals.
Gaskets around the edge of a refrigerator door keep the cold temps in and the warmer temps out.
If there’s a leak in one of those gaskets, your cold air may be escaping.
Stop opening the door so much.
Instead, get what you came for, and shut the door quickly.
Clean around your fridge.
This will help ensure that the appliance runs smoothly and efficiently.
Additionally, clean the coils of your fridge with a coil brush or vacuum, if needed.
Move your fridge a few inches away from the wall.
If space allows, keep your fridge a few inches from the wall instead of directly against it.
Keep the fridge and freezer full.
A full fridge is a happy fridge.
The same is true for your freezer.
Just be sure you don’t overcrowd the space and cut down on air flow.
That can make moving cooled air difficult and increase the risk of warm pockets of air.
Ideally, leave around 20 percent of the space open.
(A littlerefrigerator organizationcan help with that, too.)
Frequently Asked Questions
If the power goes out, do not open your refrigerator door.
On average, food should stay fresh for four hours.
Depending on the problem, you may not need to replace your refrigerator.
A faulty gasket that lets cold air out is an easy and inexpensive fix.
