Food Safety In Modern Refrigerator Freezers
Before the invention of refrigeration people struggled with keeping food fresh picking just what they needed from their gardens for each meal and salting meat to keep it fresh longer. However, due to lack of adequate cooling, cooked foods that were not eaten immediately often spoiled and had to be thrown out. Using ice blocks cut from rivers, streams and lakes helped to keep foods such as eggs and milk cool and slow down the growth of illness causing bacteria. However, even in well built ice houses it was difficult to maintain cool temperatures. As the ice melted temperatures rose above what was considered safe to prevent food from spoiling. In addition, some of the food products that were set on ice to keep cold would suffer their own version to freezer burn thus making that food unusable as well.
The concept of the modern refrigerator helped greatly in keeping food from going bad, however the earlier designs much like their ice block predecessors did not always keep a steady and safe cool environment to ward off the growth of bacteria. Not until the mid 1960′s was refrigeration able to keep temperatures that are more effective. Therefore food put in the refrigerator rarely want bad if eaten within a short time, other than if the refrigerator had a fault and stopped cooling. A refrigerator that was not cooling anymore was quite evident; however, tiny spikes in temperature were frequently not noticed. Even though technology has advanced quite a bit in designing more efficient refrigerators, changes in the refrigerator and Freezer Temperature still are a health worry.
In order to properly slow the growth of bacteria refrigerators need to maintain a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower while freezer need to remain at 0 degrees Fahrenheit to keep food properly frozen. Even as little as a degree rise in temperature can cause bacteria to multiply at twice the desired rate spoiling some foods in as little as an hour or two.
This is why it is extremely imperative to make note of your refrigerator and Refrigerator Freezer Temperature and be sure thy remain at safe temperatures. One way of assuring that is buying thermometers for both the refrigerator and the freezer. You can check these thermometers frequently and any spike in temperature should be closely observed.
With some of the latest advances in technology, some brands and models of refrigerators and freezers have built in thermometers that are not only designed to keep track of your refrigerator or Refrigerator Freezer Temperature but, will also alert you to rises in temperatures. Some actually offer digital readouts right on the appliances door that tell you what the temperature is continually.
If you discover that the temperature in your refrigerator or freezer is raising you should get the food stored inside of it in a place where it can be stored in the proper temperature and then look over the troubleshooting part of the manual, or phone a service technician and have your fridge looked at and repaired.
Modern refrigerators can keep food from spoiling longer and better than ever before but, you have to do your part in making sure that your appliance is keeping the proper temperature.
Ismail Abraham helps with a Freezer Temperature Review Site that educates consumers about different types of Freezer Temperatures and much more.
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Fridge Freezers – Before the introduction of refrigeration people had a challenging time with... Read Full Story »
