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A refrigerator that is too cold or too warm will have difficulty keeping your food fresh. Produce is particularly vulnerable to the wrong temperatures, but almost everything you put inside benefits from keeping your ice chest set to a magic number.
Not wasting anything, I set out to see how cold my refrigerator was since there was no built-in thermometer. The ultimate goal was to make sure it was set to the Goldilocks zone: the recommended temperature to keep most items as fresh as possible without freezing them.
Here’s how it happened and what I learned after testing almost every temperature setting in my refrigerator.
What temperature should your refrigerator be?
Before I can determine the best temperature setting for my refrigerator, we need to know what temperature is safe to store food.
Scientific consensus places the ideal refrigerator temperature at 40°F (4°C). Or below – Cool enough to control bacteria, but not so cold that it freezes delicate foods.
The freezer temperature should be set to 0°F (minus 18°C) or less. It may seem like anything below 32°F (0°C) will do the job, but the Goal Cooler is there for a good reason: It keeps food solidly frozen even when you open the door, add new items, or eliminate a brief power outage. As a bonus, lower temperatures also speed up the freezing process, which means smaller ice crystals and better preservation.
Tests have been conducted using real world conditions
When storing food in the refrigerator, make sure it is within the safe temperature range for food storage.
When testing the refrigerator’s temperature settings, I didn’t empty out all of my food, although I did move the most delicate items — fresh produce, egg, And some glass jars – in makeshift coolers for cold testing. Likewise, I couldn’t keep things out of the refrigerator or at warmer temperatures for longer than two hours.
All of this requires me to keep my tests short. Every time I open the door, check the temperature or change the setting, I affect the test. Although these inconsistencies were annoying to my scientific mind, they yielded results that more closely matched real-world conditions in which a crowded refrigerator might be opened several times an hour.
Refrigerator thermometers make these tests possible
The abundance of refrigerator thermometers and smart sensors helped in testing.
As with any test, you needed a way to measure and track temperatures over time. In this test, I used three different types of temperature sensors: ThermoPro refrigerator thermometers, Hatusoku digital thermometer with external sensor Recently announced IKEA TIMERFLOT Intelligent temperature and humidity sensor.
The ThermoPro is the most convenient option for most people because it can be hung on shelves or flipped back into a handy stand. The built-in light also helps you see the LCD screen in low light – such as a freezer that has no internal lighting.
Hatusoku’s long temperature probe makes it a great choice for a thermometer that you can stick to the outside of your refrigerator for quick checks. However, the probe is very sensitive and almost always reacts when I open the door.
The ThermoPro and Hatusoku can track minimum and maximum temperatures, letting you know if the temperature leaves the safe zone or how much it fluctuates when the refrigerator compressor is running.
Since it is so sensitive, the min/max setting is not useful. Consider waiting a few minutes after the cooling cycle before checking the temperature. You also need to handle an extra wire when placing the probe.
Timmerflotte created my own testing arsenal after I pitched the idea to a company representative. They were just as curious as I was to see how the sensor performed in the refrigerator. However, one of the developers at the company said that the sensors could handle the internal temperature of my refrigerator, but the metal might interfere with its connection to the Dirigera smart hub. (Fortunately, I didn’t experience any connectivity issues during testing.)
I loved being able to tap the front of the Ikea sensor to show the current temperature and humidity without my phone.
Since it’s a smart temperature sensor, the Timmerflotte provided me with real-time temperature measurements without having to open the refrigerator. IKEA sent enough sensors so I could track the temperature in the front and back of the fridge, which was very helpful in finding the perfect setting. The Ikea Home Smart app had no way to track temperature over time—I couldn’t determine trends beyond manual checks.
However, I should note that the minimum temperature for the Timmerflotte was around 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees Celsius), so it couldn’t track the temperature of my freezer. It also turned off after about 12 hours due to the freezing temperatures and alkaline batteries being incompatible.
How I tested my refrigerator temperature: Limitations and caveats
My refrigerator uses a simple thermostat to control the refrigerator and freezer. The dial lists numbers 1 through 9, with 9 being the coolest setting. Starting at 1, I measured the temperature for at least 20 minutes (often longer with cooler settings) to allow it to stabilize after each compressor cycle.
My refrigerator uses a simple thermostat to control the refrigerator and freezer. The dial lists numbers 1 through 9, with 9 being the coolest setting.
Here’s the problem: My results are unique to my home and my refrigerator.
- Although GE still makes my refrigerator (Model GTR15BBMRWW), it is an old probability model Date of manufacture April 2001 Owner’s manual He even recommends setting the temperature control dial to 5 and adjusting from there.
- I have a lot of food in my refrigerator due to Thanksgiving preparations. With such a big convectionIt takes a long time for the temperature to stabilize after adjustments are made. High food load also prevents airflow during cooling, resulting in cold and hot spots.
- The average temperature in my kitchen during the November tests was around 64 degrees Fahrenheit, which affects how long the refrigerator runs.
- Opening the door repeatedly during the test certainly affected the results.
- I usually use a slightly cooler environment in the summer to keep foods in the safe zone General Electric advice reflects this. Even then, I only put items that can be frozen in the back of the refrigerator, just in case.
Finally, my measurements were more consistent and reliable in the refrigerator than in the freezer, which fortunately stayed below 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees Celsius) throughout testing. (I attribute this mostly to forgetting to photograph the refrigerator thermometer readings for levels 2, 3, and 4.) However, my freezer thermometer was not consistent at 0°F (minus 18°C) or lower until I reached level 4.
Test results and takeaways
I kept both thermometers in the back of the refrigerator to get consistent readings from both.
Ultimately, level 5 (actually just below this) was the only level that kept all my food within the target range. The front, back, and freezer all comply with the above food safety guidelines. Other settings either freeze the items in the back or keep the items in the front very warm.
Refrigerator temperature test results
| Setting level | Refrigerator front | Rear refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44°F (failure) | 41°F (pass) | 12 degrees Fahrenheit |
| 2 | 44°F (failure) | 39°F (pass) | No data |
| 3 | 45°F (failure) | 38°F (pass) | No data |
| 4 | 42°F (failure) | 37°F (pass) | No data |
| 5 | 40°F (pass) | 33°F (pass) | 0°F |
| 6 | 40°F (pass) | 29°F (failure) | -3°F |
| 7 | 40°F (pass) | 26°F (failure) | -7 degrees Fahrenheit |
| 8 | 32°F (failure) | 19°F (failure) | -12 degrees Fahrenheit |
| 9 | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled |
You can see why I canceled the test after level 8, which had the entire refrigerator at or below freezing. This level also caused the compressor to run continuously for about an hour before shutting down.
So, I couldn’t risk spending a significant amount of time at least trying to get to level 9, which I think might turn my entire refrigerator into a freezer — even if the refrigerator compartment never reached 0 degrees Fahrenheit. (I don’t have enough refrigeration space to accommodate refrigerator food.)
For my refrigerator, Level 5 is right in the middle, which is probably what the manufacturer intended when organizing the different settings. From a user perspective, I found that impressive. My biggest takeaway is that setting the fridge to a colder temperature isn’t necessarily better, which is sometimes my instinct when I see food spoiling too quickly.
A simple set of refrigerator thermometers can help you reach your target temperature.
Should you test your refrigerator temperature?
If your food keeps spoiling or freezing without explanation, it may be because your settings aren’t calibrated properly. You may not even know the intended setting to reach the target refrigerator temperature of 40°F (4°C) or less. If so, it would be wise to perform a similar test on your refrigerator.
I recommend getting it A set of refrigerator thermometers As I did. I consider them essential for simple refrigerators like mine, which use a thermostat that doesn’t display the actual temperature.
While many refrigerators have a digital thermostat with a target temperature, the flexibility of a standalone refrigerator thermometer can help you learn more about your refrigerator. For example, you’ll be able to move the thermometer to find cold spots or track temperatures during a power outage.