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Keeping your food refrigerated helps preserve it for longer. E The refrigerator does not stop, but it does slow down bacterial growth. Keeping food at a suitable temperature is very important as one of the measures to prevent food poisoning.
Sometimes the refrigerator may not be set to the required temperature , that is, it is not cooling enough to preserve your food properly and prevent the food from spoiling quickly.
Also You should note that not all refrigerator temperature gauges are accurate. It may be marking a temperature at the it’s not really cooling.
For refrigerators whose temperatures are set on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 is the warmest option; the lower the number, the colder.
You must check the temperature of your refrigerator and adjust it if necessary.
Proper refrigerator temperature
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that the refrigerator should be kept at 40 ° F or less. The ideal freezer temperature is below 0 ° F.
Try to keep the refrigerator at a temperature between 35 ° and 38 ° F , above from this the temperatures may be too high.
You can measure the refrigerator temperature with an independent thermometer and conomic for household appliances. Place the thermometer in your refrigerator and leave it for 23 minutes . The thermometer is available at online stores or at home supply stores.
The CDC explains that bacteria can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature or in the “Danger Zone” between ° F and 140 ° F . You should never leave perishable food outside the refrigerator for more than 2 hours or within 1 hour if the outside temperature is higher than 90 ° F.
Other food safety recommendations
After cooking the food, you can divide the hot food into several clean, shallow containers to make it cool faster and refrigerate it. It doesn’t matter if they don’t cool completely, you should refrigerate them.
Store raw meat on the bottom shelf away from fresh produce and ready-to-eat foods . If you won’t be consuming it in a few days, freeze it. Fresh chunks of chicken or turkey keep in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days and frozen is optimal for 9 months.
Check in Food Safety the complete list of time limits for refrigerated foods to avoid spoiling or dangerous consumption .
Discard perishable foods that have not been refrigerated for more than 2 hours.
Thaw or marinate foods in the refrigerator.
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