What should be the temperature in the refrigerator?

Many owners of refrigerators do not know what temperature should be inside, but the shelf life of products and our health depend on this. Buyers believe the factory settings and do not delve into this issue.

Let's try to figure out what temperature should be in the refrigerator, what needs to be done for this. All refrigerators are programmed to work in approximately the same temperature range. Of course, you can change modes and adjust settings, but you won’t go beyond predetermined limits. Thus, manufacturers protect users from fatal errors associated with setting the temperature at random.

The standard temperature in the refrigerator compartment is +3-5°C. Norm for the freezer: -18-24 degrees.

Cooling chamber:

Despite the common space, each shelf of the refrigerator maintains its own temperature. Which one depends on the position of the relatively colder compartments:

On the first shelf from the freshness zone or freezer - here +2..+4 °С, which allows you to store fresh products of animal origin for some time. By the way, this is the temperature that raw eggs need, so a special tray for them is placed in the door on the shelf that is closer to the freezer.

On the middle shelves, the temperature will be +3..+6 °С, so you can store dairy products, sausages, cheeses, some fruits and vegetables, confectionery and cooked food here.

The zone farthest from the cold chambers has the maximum temperature possible in the refrigerator (+8 °C). Root crops and tender fruits are put here, for which the extreme conditions of other departments are contraindicated. That is why in models with a built-in top freezer, the vegetable drawers are at the very bottom.

The shelves on the door are the warmest place, the temperature there is always a couple of degrees higher than in the main chamber, and can reach up to + 10 ° C. On different shelves of the door, the temperature can be different, as well as in the main compartment. These are storage areas mayonnaise, sauces and drinks.

The freshness zone is a part of the internal volume where the recommended temperature in the refrigerator is 0ºС - +1ºС. It is located, as a rule, in the upper part of the refrigerator under the freezer. The mode created in this place best contributes to the preservation of meat, fish and dairy products, preventing the development of bacteria.

Freezer

The freezer is designed for long-term storage of food, therefore, a negative temperature is maintained. For each type of refrigerator, it may differ, but, as a rule, the range is -18ºС - -24ºС. What temperature in the freezer of the refrigerator will be most suitable determines the purpose of freezing. The highest temperature here is: -18 ° C. Lowest: -24°C. If the "Super Freeze" mode is set, then the indicators are reduced to -30 ° C.

Most models have the ability to adjust the temperature in the freezer in increments of six degrees, as evidenced by the marking applied in the form of stars: each star corresponds to -6ºС. Most often, the limit value reaches -18ºС, but there are also such refrigerators in which it is possible to set the temperature in the chamber to -24ºС for instant freezing. The low temperature in the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator contributes to the longest storage of fresh meat, fish, semi-finished products, delicate fruits and food products that have undergone heat treatment.
We are so accustomed to comfort that sometimes we do not think about elementary things. Therefore, when the refrigerator breaks down, it is a great tragedy. Proper operation of the unit, the optimal mode will extend not only the life of the refrigerator, but also the shelf life of the products.

Finally, we want to remind you that the correct temperature is important not only inside the refrigerator, but also outside. Household appliances must not be operated in rooms where the air is colder than prescribed by the climate class. Otherwise, the equipment will fail faster than we would like.