Not too long ago I noticed that some of the food in our refrigerator had started freezing a little.  Nothing too bad, just a little glaze of ice.  It took me a couple of minutes to realize that someone had adjusted the temperature settings in both the freezer and refrigerator to the coldest settings.

I quizzed my daughters about who might have done this and after a little arm twisting I got a confession out of my 5 year old.  She just loves pushing buttons.

That little incident got me thinking about the energy we use in freezing and cooling food.  What are the appropriate temperatures?  Could I be wasting energy by keeping food colder than necessary?

More importantly, what are the proper temperatures that will keep food safe?

So I did a little research . . . 

According to the FDA (here), “refrigerators should stay at 41 °F (5 °C) or less. A temperature of 41 °F (5 °C) or less is important because it slows the growth of most bacteria. The temperature won’t kill the bacteria, but it will keep them from multiplying, and the fewer there are, the less likely you are to get sick from them.  Freezing at zero °F (minus 18 °C) or less stops bacterial growth (although it won’t kill all bacteria already present).”

Keeping your refrigerator any colder than this will waste electricity and really won’t keep your food any safer.

Buy a small thermometer to check the temperature inside your refrigerator to make sure your settings are appropriate.

Photo credit:  connect7