How to regulate the temperature in the refrigerator?

Today, the refrigerator in most families is the main household appliance. Without his proper work, there will be no tasty food or family harmony. One of the most important factors in this sense is a well-regulated temperature. The more complex the technique, the more varied the settings and the more likely to make a mistake. How to avoid trouble and keep the freshness and healthy qualities of food in the refrigerator?

If the temperature in the fridge is set incorrectly

Most perishable products last longer at the temperature of +2 to +5. If the temperature controller in the fridge is twisted too much, the food freezes, losing its beneficial properties. After defrosting, it quickly becomes unusable - you have to cook in a hurry. If the refrigerator is too warm, bacteria actively proliferate in the products: fruits and vegetables rot, sausage and cheese become covered with mold, juices start to ferment.

Even more severely, the temperature affects frozen foods. A faulty temperature sensor in the freezer will turn fish or meat into a foul-smelling mass in a few hours.

Add to this the constant leakage of melted ice, as well as excessive energy consumption - and it will become clear why it is so important to correctly control the temperature in the refrigerator. Unfortunately, not everyone even knows what the minimum and maximum working temperatures of the model in their kitchen are. Twist the handle - does not freeze on the wall, does not drip into the pan - and thank God. How to do the right thing?

Optimum temperature in the refrigerator

Since the refrigerator compartment usually has a decent volume, heat is distributed unevenly through it. Much depends on where the compressor is located and how the cooling unit is structurally arranged. For some models, the cold zone is closer to the upper part of the body, for others - in the middle part. The closer to the place of entry of cold air, the lower the temperature. To decide how to distribute products in the refrigerator, pay attention to the following facts:

At temperatures from +1 to +3 It is best to store meat, fish, chicken eggs, hard cheese, mayonnaise in an open package.

At temperatures from +2 to +4 sausage and culinary products, soft cheeses last longer.

At temperatures from +3 to +5 store soups, boiled vegetables, dairy products, bread.

For seafood, the most comfortable temperature is from +4 to +6 degrees. Fruits (with the exception of exotic ones - bananas, pineapples, etc., which are generally undesirable to be stored in the refrigerator) should be placed in the warmest place of the refrigerator, where the thermometer indicates +6 ... + 8 degrees.

Based on this, you can roughly estimate how the grocery set is distributed according to your model of the refrigerator.

As for the freezer, do not forget: frozen food is equally stored at -18 degrees and at -25 ° C. Therefore, chasing the power of freezing is not necessary.

Refrigerator temperature adjustment

Strangely enough, most people do not even look into the manual before turning on the refrigerator and adjust the temperature using the arbitrary thermostat rotation method (in the case of electronic control of temperature regulation through the LCD on expensive models, this procedure turns out to be more correct). At the same time, it is not always possible to make an accurate and correct setting. However, there are "popular" methods of control. Instead of trying to interpret arbitrary numbers on the switches, it is better to check the air temperature with a street thermometer.Place it in a glass of water, which is placed in the center of the refrigerator. Check the temperature after a few hours. If it is higher than +4 degrees, feel free to twist the regulator in the direction of cooling. If lower than 2-3 degrees, turn it in the opposite direction. Once you have stabilized the temperature within 3-4 degrees, put a thermometer between the packets of frozen food in the freezer and wait a few hours. When the temperature is below -25 ° C, turn the temperature regulator up; if above -18 ° C, go down to reduce the temperature.

How to regulate the temperature in different brands of refrigerators?

In modern units it is possible to regulate the temperature of the freezing and refrigerating chambers separately, as well as different compartments, independently of each other. Let us examine the features of thermal control in models of leading manufacturers represented in the domestic market:

• Gorenje - the temperature in the refrigerator is set by turning the knob to the position between Max and Min. It is recommended to set the thermostat to ECO. If the air temperature in the room where the refrigerator is installed is below 16 degrees, the manufacturer advises to unscrew the knob on Max, and with the surrounding heat - the opposite.
• Liebherr - electronic temperature control, in many models - separate control in the refrigerator and freezer. There is a mode Coolplus - the system protecting the refrigerator from temperature drops in the environment. As soon as the indoor air gets colder, the device’s compressor starts to work intermittently. Smartfreeze - A special cooling technology in which, due to active air circulation, it becomes possible to quickly freeze many kilograms of products at once. Supercooling and ultrafast freezing modes in the freezer.
• Atlant - The temperature is controlled by turning the thermostat knob in both directions. It is located on the dial. Adjustment takes place on a seven-point scale: 0 - the compressor is off, 1 is the highest temperature, 7 is the lowest.
• Samsung - temperature is regulated using the control panel separately for the freezing and refrigerating chambers:

1. cooling chamber: Press the Fridge button to set the desired temperature in the range of +1 to +7 degrees. The default temperature is 3 degrees;
2. freezer: aThe temperature is set from -14 to -25 degrees. The function of accelerated freezing is available, which is activated for 72 hours, after which the freezer returns to normal temperature.

• Bosch - the temperature is regulated similarly to the previous brand, there is also a supercooling mode available for 6 hours (the temperature quickly and evenly drops to +2 degrees, cooling the products that are just placed in the refrigerator - as a result, they do not have time to thaw lying next to them).
• Indesit - the temperature inside the refrigerator is automatically adjusted according to the position of the thermostat knob: 1 - the warmest mode, 5 - the coldest mode.
• LG - In many models, the temperature is controlled using the control panel separately for the freezer and the refrigerating chamber.

• Stinol - there are two independent regulators for the two-chamber unit. Five positions on both thermostats, supercooling mode is available in the freezer.

How to detect improper temperature control in the refrigerator?

Most often, it manifests itself either as a crust of snow and ice growing on the walls of the device (in addition to an unaesthetic “overcooling”, it also increases the power consumption of the refrigerator), or in the form of a pool flowing onto the floor. Products start to deteriorate faster than usual or lose moisture and dry in one to two days. An unpleasant odor spreads through the refrigerator. If you notice these symptoms, think: maybe it’s just that you once didn’t take the time to read the instructions?