If you store foods at a temperature lower than 36f you run the risk of freezing items that should not be like milk and dairy products where as if you store them at a higher temperature than 45f the food could spoil.
Chiller and freezer temperature chart.
The average temperature operating range for commercial refrigeration units is generally between 36f and 45f.
Make sure your refrigerator is set at 4 c 40 f or lower and your freezer at 18 c 0 f or lower.
Place this chart by the preparation areas.
Keep your raw meat poultry fish and seafood separate from other food in the refrigerator at home.
Appliance thermometers are the best way of knowing these temperatures and are generally inexpensive.
Keep one on each unit.
It s a good target to aim for because it means not freezing foods yet still keeping them below 4 c.
The freezer temperature should be 0 f 18 c.
If you re experiencing temperature fluctuations read our guide to troubleshooting a fridge.
Adjust the freezer settings as necessary to get the temperature in a safe range after making adjustments to either the freezer or refrigerator check the thermometer s temperature readout after five hours repeating the adjustment process until the reading is in the ideal range.
Follow the guidelines below for storing food in the refrigerator and freezer.
Cold storage temperatures pdf cold storage chart this chart gives short conservative storage times to protect you from food spoilage what you risk in long refrigeration and from taste loss what happens when food is left too long in the freezer.
Download a print version of this document.
The australian standard for fridges uses a fresh food compartment average temperature of 3 c.
Most foods will maintain good quality longer if the freezer temperature is 10 f to 20 f.
Chart 2 cooler refrigeration chart this chart can be used for several days and is to check air temperature of refrigeration units freezers.
Keep your freezer at zero degrees 0 f or below to maintain the quality of frozen foods.
The guidelines for freezer storage are for quality only frozen foods stored continuously at 0 f or below can be kept indefinitely.
This is a 2 day chart for spot checking perishable foods at 2 hour intervals throughout the day.
At temperatures between 0 f and 32 f food deteriorates more rapidly.
The perfect temperature range for a freezer is at or slightly below 0 f and never more than 2 f.