A food policy expert's experiment demonstrates how placing hot food in the refrigerator can significantly raise its temperature, potentially damaging the appliance and causing other food to spoil faster. Gavin Wren conducted a 'scientific' test using temperature data loggers, revealing that hot leftovers can cause drastic temperature fluctuations within the fridge, particularly on the top shelf.
If you're the type who can't wait for your dinner to cool down before popping the leftovers in the fridge, you're probably not alone. However, a food policy expert's experiment might make you think twice about this habit.
Gavin Wren carried out a 'scientific' experiment showing how putting hot food in the fridge can "really f***s with the temperature", potentially damaging your appliance and causing other food to spoil faster. To ensure his experiment was accurate, Gavin placed three temperature data loggers in different parts of the fridge - one in the salad drawer, another at the back of the middle shelf, and the last one at the front of the top shelf. "These three areas of the fridge will respond very differently to things like, the door being left open, putting hot food in, or adding new shopping into the fridge," Gavin explained on TikTok. He then created an interactive graph showing the temperature changes when he put hot leftovers in the fridge. For example, at 7am, Gavin accidentally left the fridge door open, causing the top shelf area to shoot up to nearly 9 degrees, the middle shelf to 7 degrees, while the salad drawer remained the same. To further prove his point, Gavin put a saucepan of lukewarm rice on the bottom shelf of the fridge, which surprisingly had a "minor impact on the salad drawer too". At 7pm, Gavin began preparing his dinner with ingredients from his fridge. Following the cooking process, he portioned out the meal and stored it on the fridge's top shelf, which alarmingly soared to 18 degrees. It then took an extensive four hours for the temperature to settle down to normal levels. Detailing his ordeal, Gavin remarked: "The top shelf went up to a massive 18 degrees and it took four hours to come back down to a normal temperature." He pointed out the potential risks this poses not only to the appliance itself but also how it can cause other groceries to spoil more rapidly. Gavin shared the dire effects: "This would make something like milk go off 10 times faster than normal. And that's precisely why you're supposed to let food cool before you put them in the fridge." The UK Food Standards Agency provides guidelines for the proper storage of leftovers: "Don't place hot or warm food in your fridge. Instead, cool cooked food at room temperature and place in the fridge within one to two hours. To cool food quickly, divide food into smaller portions in containers or freezer bags before putting in the fridge or freezer." While ensuring food isn't left out for too long is crucial because the fridge is designed to slow bacterial growth, bacteria thrive most abundantly at temperatures between 4 and 60 degrees, often dubbed the "danger zone." If food remains at a certain temperature for an extended period, it can lead to bacterial growth. Hence, it's crucial to bring the food down to room temperature swiftly before refrigerating it. This can be achieved by dividing the food into smaller portions, placing it under the kitchen extractor fan, or if your food is in an airtight container, you could give it a 'cold water bath'.
FOOD SAFETY REFRIGERATION TEMPERATURE BACTERIAL GROWTH LEFTOVERS
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