The Right Temperature for Your Refrigerator

published Jan 21, 2015
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What’s the right temperature for your refrigerator? How do you know if it’s keeping the milk cold enough? What if your crisper is leaving icicles on the celery? Is it too cold?

Kitchen Fact: The ideal temperature range for your fridge is 35 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit.

Below 32°F, and food will freeze. Over 40°F and your food is in an unsafe zone, more prone to spoilage and harmful bacteria.

How do you know what the temperature is? If you don’t have a thermometer built in to your fridge, hang one inside the fridge and check it periodically to make sure your fridge is staying within this range. Move it to the back of the fridge from time to time and leave it there overnight to make sure it’s not freezing.

(Why hang it on the door? Find out from a health inspector: A Health Inspector Visited My Kitchen, and Here’s What Happened)

Kitchen Fact Source: Freezing and Food Safety at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

More Refrigerator Tips from The Kitchn