John Myers
Do you know your fridge temperature? Should you. Because if you have optimally set up your device, you can store the different foods in such a way that they stay as fresh as possible. And you also prevent wasting electricity. We explain what to look out for.
Find the ideal refrigerator temperature
Is your butter spreadable when you take it out of the fridge door? If not, you have most likely set the temperature too low. The optimal temperature in the refrigerator should be seven degrees in the middle of the device. As cold air sinks, this setting keeps the top of your fridge at around eight degrees and the bottom around two degrees. In the vegetable compartment, the fridge temperature is eight to ten degrees with this setting – even though it is placed at the bottom of the appliance. The reason for this is the drawer, which has an isolating effect. It is warmest in the refrigerator door: The temperature here is ten to twelve degrees. Incidentally, these ideal temperatures are independent of the season: Even in summer, you don’t have to set your fridge lower. This only costs electricity, with no benefit for the stored food. So do the butter test – if it comes out of the fridge ready to spread, you have set everything correctly.
Extra tip: Also check the fridge temperature of your freezer compartment. Ideally, this should be -18 degrees. Lower is not necessary. On the contrary, this is reflected in the electricity bill. Just one degree less increases electricity consumption by around six percent.
The ideal refrigerator temperature – that’s why it’s important
If your device does not have a thermometer that you can use to read the refrigerator temperature in degrees, you can achieve the optimal seven degrees in the middle of the device by setting the controller to one of the two low levels (1 or 2). On most refrigerators, the regulator scale ranges from 1 to 6 or from 1 to 7. You can also retrofit your refrigerator with a commercially available thermometer to monitor the temperature. Place this in the middle of the device so you always have an eye on the temperature there. Why should you even know the different temperature zones in your fridge? They give you information about how to store your fridge correctly and what belongs in which fridge compartment. Because not all foods like the same temperature. And some don’t like the fridge at all: For example, you shouldn’t store tomatoes, lemons, or bananas in the fridge.
