Keep it cold and on hold

Thank goodness for refrigerators!

One of the basic food safety rules is keeping food out of the temperature danger zone which is the temperature range where bacteria will grow quickly. The quicker the bacteria grows for a period of time will lead to food borne illness.  Keeping food outside of the temperature danger zone keeps your food safe from possible bacteria growth.  You can check out this poster from TrainCan for more information. 

The temperature danger zone is 4°C (140°F)- 60°C (140°F)

Now what does this have to do with refrigerators you might ask?  

Refrigerators helps keep our food below 4°C (40°F) and out of the temperature danger zone.  That is if it's at the right temperature.  Newer and fancier fridges will come with a temperature gauge on the front of the door, this is usually in Fahrenheit and it will give you a recommended temperature at around 37-38°F. Some other fridges only have a gauge inside the fridge that usually goes from 1-5, which really doesn't give you an idea of the actual temperature.  Regardless what type of fridge you have, it is a good idea to put a fridge thermometer inside the fridge so you can check what the temperature is inside the cabinet.  If you have a gauge on the door, consider the additional thermometer as a check point that all is working as it should.    Nowadays, most grocery stores will sell fridge thermometers, so pick one up on your next grocery run if you don't already have one.  Here's a photo of the one in my fridge at home.

Keeping your fridge between 2-4°C (37-40°F) will help stop bacteria from growing if present on your food.  It also helps keep food lasting longer and fresher when stored at this safer temperature.  If you find that your produce spoils quick, or your dairy milk won't stay fresh, it could be the temperature of your fridge.  

Keep it cold and on hold

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