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Ideal Freezer Temperature
Setting the ideal freezer temperature is vital to keeping your food safe.
Freezing food stops the growth of bacteria, it does not kill it. So if the freezer gets too warm bacteria can start to grow again.
Although water freezes at 32 Fahrenheit (0 Celsius) most foods require much lower temperatures to freeze.
The ideal freezer temperature is 0 Fahrenheit (-18 Celsius) for storing food. And -10 Fahrenheit (-23 Celsius) is recommended when freezing food.
Try to set the dial to the proper temperature 24 in advance.
The faster food freezes the smaller the ice crystals. The smaller the ice crystals the smaller the change in texture and better quality when thawed but keeping your freezer too cold waste energy.
Of course learning the basics of freezer cooking such as what can and can't freeze, how to prevent freezer burn and oxidation and what freezer containers to use also helps with quality.
For every five degrees Fahrenheit above zero the storage time before your food spoils is cut in half. Food stored above 0 Fahrenheit also loses more nutrients and loses quality faster than properly frozen food.
Testing for the Ideal Freezer Temperature
If you want to test your freezer to see what temperature it is use a freezer thermometer.
Ideally read the thermometer after the freezer door has been closed for quite awhile, like first thing in the morning.
Keep Your Freezer Full A full freezer will stay colder longer, thus using less energy. Once frozen foods should be grouped together to help keep each other cold. It is easier to keep frozen foods cold than to cool the air in the freezer.
Just in case they do start to defrost, such as during a power, put any meats on the bottom. The lowest part of your freezer should be raw meats, above that cooked meats, then fruits and veggies and dry goods like breads on top.
In the case of a power out a freezer full of frozen food will keep for about two days, a half full freezer will only stay frozen for about half a day.
You can keep your freezer full by adding ice, flour, dry beans, rice or other pantry items when you have extra space.
MYTH: A freezer that is too cold causes freezer burn. Temperature does not cause freezer burn. Freezer burn is the dehydration of your food by air. The moisture leaves the food, entering the air in the freezer. Proper moisture-vapor proof freezer quality storage containers are key to preventing freezer burn.
Freezer alarms are another solution you may have heard about. And a freezer alarm that monitors the temperature in the freezer is great for large freezers in places like blood and tissue banks, hospitals, and maybe large producers of frozen foods. For our home freezers there is little need.
Unless you have kids around that aren't good at closing the door. Then it's great at preventing accidents.
Insurance Another option for the average home freezer owner is to make sure that your homeowners insurance or rental insurance covers food loses in case of mechanically failure, power outage or other accidental causes. Every policy will be different so call your insurance provider and ask about it.
Print out a freezer inventory sheet and use it. Write down what you put in your freezer, the date, the quantity and check the item off on the sheet when consumed.
This helps in case you need to verify the contents of your freezer and makes sure nothing gets lost in the depths of a full freezer and goes to waste.
Sign up for my monthly Ezine to get more information on freezer cooking. You'll also receive a free printable freezer inventory sheet you can start using today.
