
The fridge – Too cold can be uncool

Although most people only notice the freezer compartment and the normal storage space in the refrigerator, the commercially available refrigerator offers numerous options for placing food and groceries in different temperature regions and thus storing them efficiently and in a resource-saving manner.
The refrigerator, although it is now almost an everyday item in every household, is a milestone in human food consumption. Until then, it was particularly difficult to store meat and other fresh products unprocessed for long periods of time, but the refrigerator offered numerous storage options for food, medication and chemicals.
Although it was still common practice to operate refrigerators using real ice blocks until the 1950s, use in private households was primarily due to further developments in technology and the use of refrigerants.
From a technical point of view, the refrigerators commonly used in the household are compressor refrigerators, in which the gaseous refrigerant is compressed by the compressor and thus heated. There are usually cooling coils on the back of the refrigerator through which heat is released into the environment.
The pressure reduction through a valve causes the evaporating refrigerant to remove the heat from the inside of the refrigerator and thus food inside is cooled. Precise temperature control in a refrigerator is usually possible using a thermostat.
Strictly speaking, a refrigerator is equivalent to a heat pump upside down, which is why it theoretically warms the entire room when the door is left open, since the heat can no longer be extracted from the interior.
Refrigerator and levels
If you look at the different levels of a refrigerator, you can quickly see that not the entire refrigerator is at the same temperature level.
The top or bottom compartment (depending on the model) is usually separated by its own door and is the freezer compartment, where temperatures range between -6 degrees and -18 degrees Celsius.
Here, food can be frozen and thus preserved for a significantly longer period of time.
However, not all foods are suitable for freezing. Products containing milk, such as yoghurt or cream, in particular, permanently change their texture and can become inedible.
Just like heating them in the microwave, freezing whole uncooked eggs will result in them bursting. Carbonated drinks should also not be stored in the freezer.
The top shelf of the regular refrigerator, directly under the lamp, is best suited for storing sausage and cheese products. Ready-prepared meals and leftovers can also be optimally stored there. The temperature there is 8 degrees Celsius.
Directly below, on the middle floor, it is a pleasant 5 degrees, which is perfect for dairy products, such as whole milk and yoghurt.
Directly underneath, usually directly on the closed glass box underneath, the refrigerator reaches 3 degrees Celsius, making this part ideal for storing fresh meat, fish and poultry.
Place optimally!
Most refrigerators have a closed refrigerator compartment underneath, at around 8 degrees, with a drawer or sliding compartment that is specifically designed for raw fruits and vegetables. The separation makes sense primarily for hygienic reasons and regular cleaning of this part should be planned for optimal storage.
The placement of the individual items mentioned above can vary from device to device, but most refrigerators are constructed according to this modular principle and have a different temperature due to the way they are built and how they work, which can also affect the shelf life of the food, as a change of 8 Degrees to 3 degrees can definitely affect food.
By the way, the refrigerator door has a special position, as it is the warmest part at 9 degrees because it is adjacent to the outside area and is therefore best suited for storing drinks, butter, eggs and sauces. Opened fresh milk should still be stored inside the refrigerator, as 9 degrees is too warm for long-term storage.
In summary, for the optimal use of a refrigerator, it is not only important to know the different temperature regions, but also to select the foods that are actually intended for storage in the refrigerator. Many foods become inedible or lose important flavors and ingredients when stored in the refrigerator, while others spoil quickly outside the refrigerator and can become a health risk.
The freezer compartment is not always the best way to store food long-term; there are preparation techniques, such as pickling or boiling, that make longer storage outside the refrigerator possible.
See also:
Author Alexander Herberstein, article image refrigerator By Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock.com
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication
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The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual articles (not fact checks) were created using machine help and
were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )
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