Where is the coldest place in the refrigerator

The quality and taste characteristics of products used for cooking largely depend on compliance with storage conditions. In order to prolong the freshness of food and preserve their taste, it is important to place them correctly in the refrigerator. To do this, you need to know about the temperature distribution inside, namely where in the refrigerator is it colder or warmer at the top or bottom?

The study of the issue should be taken carefully. Many users, not knowing the rules of storage and temperature distribution, place products incorrectly. This, in turn, not only affects the characteristics of stored vegetables, fruits, semi-finished products, meat and other products, but can also create an additional load on the refrigerator, which can affect its operation and cause damage.

What determines the temperature distribution

It is widely believed among users that the lowest shelf is the coldest, since according to the law of physics, warm air rises and cold air sinks down. This opinion has the right to exist, but not in all cases. The temperature distribution in the refrigerator is affected by what design, or rather the freezing system, is implemented. On sale you can find refrigerators of the following types:

- Two-chamber - a no-frost system is used in which the cooling system pipes are located on the rear wall and cold air is blown by built-in fans;

-Single-chamber - cold air comes from the freezer located in the upper part.

Where is it colder in a two-chamber refrigerator

Two-chamber refrigerators differ in their design. In particular, in them, for uniform temperature distribution, the cooling element is located behind the rear wall. Cold air is blown in by fans that distribute cold relatively evenly across all compartments. This technology is called no-frost, with which the freezer is not covered with ice during prolonged use.

The coldest place in a two-chamber refrigerator is located at the air grilles, where the fans are located. As a rule, they are located at the top of each compartment. You can determine their position by the presence of holes for air distribution; on the shelf next to the fans, the storage temperature is the lowest. In addition, the air circulates in a circle, and if there are no significant obstacles in the way of blowing, the lower shelf also has the lowest temperature. Thanks to the blowing system, vegetables, fruits and other juicy products quickly evaporate moisture, and they can lose their texture and taste. For their storage, it is necessary to use hermetically sealed containers or other containers that prevent contact with the external environment.

Please note: an important factor in the case of two-chamber models is the individuality of their design. In particular, the exact location of the cold air outlets, the number and power of fans. With this design, the coldest area is the place of direct airflow, as well as the area at the rear wall, regardless of the height of the shelf.!!!

Where is it colder in a single-chamber refrigerator

A single-chamber refrigerator has a fairly simple device. It is divided into section shelves and in the upper part there is a freezer, in the walls of which freon circulates through tubes or internal bridges, which ensures freezing of products and cooling of the entire chamber. Despite the fact that this design is technically outdated, it is quite effective and allows you to maintain the desired temperature, both for freezing food and for their long-term storage.

In single-chamber refrigerators with a freezer at the top, the coldest shelf is located directly below the freezer. The cold from freon goes from above, and further down to the lower shelf. The bottom will be the warmest, which means that fruits and vegetables that do not have critical requirements for the regime can be stored here. If the technique is small, this difference will be quite small, within 1-3 degrees. For large single-chamber models, the temperature difference can be 5-7 degrees. If on the top shelf the temperature is close to 0°С, then on the lowest shelf it can reach +7 - +9°С.

Please note: In a single-chamber model with a freezer, the shelves act as a natural barrier to temperature distribution. If they are overfilled and practically do not let air through, this will affect the distribution of temperature and become a barrier to the spread of cold into the lower compartments 

Shelves on the door

This place is the warmest: +5-10°С. Opening the door creates a constant transition from cold to warm environment. Therefore, it is not recommended to place eggs and dairy products on the door. It is better to put sauces, oils, seasonings, soft drinks, medicines (candles, eye drops, injection solutions).

Containers for vegetables and fruits

They are at the very bottom, so the indicators there are +8 degrees.

Containers for vegetables, as a rule, are located at the maximum distance from the freezer. For storing root crops (potatoes, beets, carrots) and fruits (apples, pears), the temperature range from +3°C to +6°C is optimal. It is undesirable for the temperature in the containers to drop to 0°C or below, as this will cause the food to freeze.

Important nuances

Manufacturers of refrigerators indicate the temperature parameters of operation in the instructions for the equipment. In the instructions, you can find a note with cooling modes for each shelf or area of  device. If the equipment is working properly, then these data will be relevant throughout the entire period of operation. There is a possibility that after 5-8 years of operation, the modes may change in favor of increasing degrees. This is due to the gradual evaporation of freon or due to its leakage through leaky joints.

You can check the temperature yourself if you have a room thermometer on hand. Leave it for 10 minutes on each shelf to get accurate readings. After the measurement, you need to get it out of the refrigerator and let it recover in the room in order to get accurate data at the next measurement. It is necessary to distribute products in accordance with the information received, given that some of them can be frozen, others require cooling, and others require a fairly low positive temperature.