What Are the Normal Refrigerator and Freezer Temperatures?
Be Aware of the Food Danger Zone
Looking to find the normal refrigerator temperatures of your fridge or freezer? If your refrigerator was operating outside the normal, safe temperature zone, would you know it? Based on what many of our customers tell us, our very UN-scientific poll would seem to indicate that many refrigerator users do not. Though many refrigerators have the ability to monitor the temperature, many users don’t know they consume food in a refrigerator that has temperatures in the food danger zone.
What is the food danger zone you ask? According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service, the food danger zone is between 40°F and 140°F and it is the range of unsafe food temperatures where bacteria, that can cause illness, grow the most rapidly.
Another startling observation is that many people continue to eat food from a broken refrigerator. Continuing to consume food that has been in the food danger zone, sometimes for as long as several months, puts your family’s health at risk. Depending on the type of cooling problem, temperatures inside a fridge that is not cooling could become warmer than room temperature. That is, warmer than 72°F.
Normal Refrigerator & Freezer Temperatures
The normal operating temperatures for a residential refrigerator and freezer appliance: fresh food section should be between 34-40°F. As you can see, this compartment is a delicate balance between freezing and spoiling food. freezer compartment should be between (-5)-(+5)°F. Some fluctuation is expected, as long as it returns to normal.
What Temperatures Should I Discard Food?
The following info-graphic, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, lets you know when to keep and throw away certain food items when your refrigerator loses power. This is assuming all doors remain shut 100%. The freezer can hold below freezing (32°F) temperatures for up to 24 hours. The fresh food, or refrigerated compartment, can only hold food safe temperatures (40°F) for up to 4 hours, again if doors remain closed. IMPORTANT: A malfunctioning refrigerator acts differently than one merely without power, so if yours is broken, this guide might not be accurate.
Food Safe Temperature Guideline
Source: FoodSafety.gov
| Refrigerator Foods |
| WHEN TO SAVE AND WHEN TO THROW IT OUT | |
|---|---|
| FOOD | HELD ABOVE 40 °F FOR OVER 2 HOURS |
| MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD Raw or leftover cooked meat, poultry, fish, or seafood; soy meat substitutes | Discard |
| Thawing meat or poultry | Discard |
| Meat, tuna, shrimp,chicken, or egg salad | Discard |
| Gravy, stuffing, broth | Discard |
| Lunchmeats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, dried beef | Discard |
| Pizza, with any topping | Discard |
| Canned hams labeled “Keep Refrigerated” | Discard |
| Canned meats and fish, opened | Discard |
| CHEESE Soft Cheeses: blue/bleu, Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage, cream, Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, queso blanco, queso fresco | Discard |
| Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, provolone, Romano | Safe |
| Processed Cheeses | Safe |
| Shredded Cheeses | Discard |
| Low-fat Cheeses | Discard |
| Grated Parmesan, Romano, or combination (in can or jar) | Safe |
| DAIRY Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt, eggnog, soy milk | Discard |
| Butter, margarine | Safe |
| Baby formula, opened | Discard |
| EGGS Fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products | Discard |
| Custards and puddings | Discard |
| CASSEROLES, SOUPS, STEWS | Discard |
| FRUITS Fresh fruits, cut | Discard |
| Fruit juices, opened | Safe |
| Canned fruits, opened | Safe |
| Fresh fruits, coconut, raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits, dates | Safe |
| SAUCES, SPREADS, JAMS Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish | Discard if above 50 °F for over 8 hrs. |
| Peanut butter | Safe |
| Jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, catsup, olives, pickles | Safe |
| Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, Hoisin sauces | Safe |
| Fish sauces (oyster sauce) | Discard |
| Opened vinegar-based dressings | Safe |
| Opened creamy-based dressings | Discard |
| Spaghetti sauce, opened jar | Discard |
| BREAD, CAKES, COOKIES,PASTA, GRAINS Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas | Safe |
| Refrigerator biscuits,rolls, cookie dough | Discard |
| Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes | Discard |
| Pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinaigrette | Discard |
| Fresh pasta | Discard |
| Cheesecake | Discard |
| Breakfast foods—waffles, pancakes, bagels | Safe |
| PIES, PASTRY Pastries, cream filled | Discard |
| Pies—custard,cheese filled, or chiffon; quiche | Discard |
| Pies, fruit | Safe |
| VEGETABLES Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices | Safe |
| Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged | Discard |
| Vegetables, raw | Safe |
| Vegetables, cooked; tofu | Discard |
| Vegetable juice, opened | Discard |
| Baked potatoes | Discard |
| Commercial garlic in oil | Discard |
| Potato Salad | Discard |
| Frozen Food |
| WHEN TO SAVE AND WHEN TO THROW IT OUT | ||
|---|---|---|
| FOOD | STILL CONTAINS ICE CRYSTALS AND FEELS AS COLD AS IF REFRIGERATED | THAWED. HELD ABOVE 40 °F FOR OVER 2 HOURS |
| MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD Beef, veal, lamb, pork, and ground meats | Refreeze | Discard |
| Poultry and ground poultry | Refreeze | Discard |
| Variety meats (liver, kidney, heart, chitterlings) | Refreeze | Discard |
| Casseroles, stews, soups | Refreeze | Discard |
| Fish, shellfish, breaded seafood products | Refreeze. However, there will be some texture and flavor loss. | Discard |
| DAIRY Milk | Refreeze. May lose some texture. | Discard |
| Eggs (out of shell) and egg products | Refreeze | Discard |
| Ice cream, frozen yogurt | Discard | Discard |
| Cheese (soft and semi-soft) | Refreeze. May lose some texture. | Discard |
| Hard cheeses | Refreeze | Refreeze |
| Shredded cheeses | Refreeze | Discard |
| Casseroles containing milk, cream, eggs, soft cheeses | Refreeze | Discard |
| Cheesecake | Refreeze | Discard |
| FRUITS Juices | Refreeze | Refreeze. Discard if mold, yeasty smell, or sliminess develops. |
| Home or commercially packaged | Refreeze. Will change texture and flavor. | Refreeze. Discard if mold, yeasty smell, or sliminess develops. |
| VEGETABLES Juices | Refreeze | Discard after held above 40 °F for 6 hours. |
| Home or commercially packaged or blanched | Refreeze. May suffer texture and flavor loss. | Discard after held above 40 °F for 6 hours. |
| BREADS, PASTRIES Breads, rolls, muffins, cakes (without custard fillings) | Refreeze | Refreeze |
| Cakes, pies, pastries with custard or cheese filling | Refreeze | Discard |
| Pie crusts, commercial and homemade bread dough | Refreeze. Some quality loss may occur. | Refreeze. Quality loss is considerable. |
| OTHER Casseroles—pasta, rice based | Refreeze | Discard |
| Flour, cornmeal, nuts | Refreeze | Refreeze |
| Breakfast items—waffles, pancakes, bagels | Refreeze | Refreeze |
| Frozen meal, entrée, specialty items (pizza, sausage and biscuit, meat pie,convenience foods) | Refreeze | Discard |
If you are having cooling issues with your refrigerator or freezer in the Chicagoland area and need a professional refrigerator repair service quickly, please feel free to contact A Fast Local Refrigerator Repair at 630-424-0646, or easily book service appointment online. The faster you contact us for refrigerator repair service, the faster we can get your refrigerator running.
Food Safety Guideline Source/credit: FoodSafety.gov
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