how much difference really would various fridge temp affect the food life stored within? [closed]

how much difference really would various fridge temp affect the food life stored within? [closed] - French Macarons on Pantone Cards

this question outdated by ~7 years -- What temperatures should I keep my refrigerator and freezer set at? --

ask how much temp a fridge or freezer should be at

but im very confused about how much difference is a degree or 10?


like if i leave it at 45 or 55, is it not ok?

on http://www.explainthatstuff.com/refrigerator.html

it says if you leave it cooler, the food would last longer

but how much longer?

i've kept vegs and other food for way longer than than what is 'advised' and they were completely fine

like the two popular 'when does X expire' -- stilltasty & eatbydate

these sites and likely other advise a 'super safe' date of when you throw out perfectly good stuff/food

brown rice is completely find way past the days claimed on https://www.quora.com/Can-I-keep-brown-rice-in-the-fridge-for-a-week-in-a-ziplock-without-it-going-bad

and some ppl say it's perfectly safe


on http://www.stilltasty.com/questions/index/90/

it claims that 'important to keep the temperature of your refrigerator at or below 40° F.'

if it's warmer than that, it claims that the 'types of bacteria that can cause both food spoilage and foodborne illness will multiply too quickly'

so are we saying before that temp, food would multiply at a 2x rate?

but then if you go above that temp, then food would multiply at a 100x rate? not sure what 'too quickly' means. is it really 'too quickly' or is it just fine?


it also says 'can cause' -- so like a 1% chance or a 99% chance

this info matters a lot to make good decision

you 'can' die every time you drive or fly a plane, does that mean you never drive or fly or go anywhere?


if fridge temp mattered so much -- life or death importance

then why don't fridge actually show temp? or show the temp on the temp control? as also seen on http://www.consumerreports.org/refrigerators/best-refrigerator-temperature-to-keep-food-fresh/

if it was actually important? im sure one day the leading edge fridge would make this 'innovation', this basic innovation happen.


please help as best you can as the previous question was helped

really appreciate a helpful answer among all this info everywhere



Best Answer

The only answer we can realistically give is that higher temperatures make enough of a difference that at least some food safety agencies don't recommend it.

Some foods will be affected more than others in terms of quality, e.g. some vegetables do fine at room temperature for some time, while some will spoil rather quickly. And in terms of safety, it's similar: if something's not significantly contaminated, while if it's got something nasty in it the lower temperature helps stop it from growing, but you never really know when you've gotten unlucky (it's not like you can see bacteria).

So overall, the answer is just to keep it under 40F/4C, i.e. pretty much as cool as you can without it starting to freeze in patches, to err on the side of safety.

Your comparisons to the risk of driving or flying don't really make a lot of sense to me. Sure, there's some risk in all kinds of things. But when you decide whether to take a risk, you weigh the risk against the cost of avoiding it. Keeping your fridge at 40F instead of 45F or 50F barely costs you anything, just a little bit more electricity. And in exchange, you drastically reduce your risk of really unpleasant foodborne illness, and you keep your food fresh longer (and waste less money throwing out spoiled food).

As for why fridges don't come with built-in thermometers... well, some do, and it's a nice feature. But it's also not really necessary for this purpose. All you have to do to ensure that you're at a sufficiently low temperature is adjust it as cold as you can without things freezing. As long as the air circulation isn't horrible, at that point the whole fridge should be under 40F.




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At what temperature does food spoil in the refrigerator?

The "Danger Zone" (40 \xb0F-140 \xb0F) This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." That's why the Meat and Poultry Hotline advises consumers to never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours. If the temperature is above 90 \xb0F, food should not be left out more than 1 hour.

Is 45 degrees a safe temperature for a refrigerator?

The USDA says refrigeration temperature should be 40\xb0F (4.4\xb0C) or below. If food is in there at a higher temperature (such as the 43-45\xb0F the question mentions), for longer than 2 hours, and they're saying the food isn't safe.

How does temperature affect food preservation?

By controlling the temperature, you can control the levels of bacteria which spoil foods and cause illness. Heat kills bacteria, while cold temperatures slow down the growth of bacteria to prevent it from reaching harmful levels.

What is the maximum temperature that a refrigerator can operate at and still be considered safe for holding food?

Also, when putting food away, don't crowd the refrigerator or freezer so tightly that air can't circulate. Keep your appliances at the proper temperatures. Keep the refrigerator temperature at or below 40\xb0 F (4\xb0 C). The freezer temperature should be 0\xb0 F (-18\xb0 C).



Are All Lab Refrigerators and Freezers the Same? (No!)




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Carlie Wright, Carlie Wright, Gustavo Fring, Asya Vlasova