Is it better to let food cool before placing it in the refrigerator? If so, how long?

Question

And if so, what are the reasons? Is it better for the fridge, the food, or both?

Answer 1

The reason you would let food cool would be to keep it from going directly from cold to hot quickly, which encourages viruses and bacteria to grow and multiply faster.  Just let it get to room temperature, then put it in the fridge if you're that concerned about it. It's usually not that big of a deal if the hot food got above 140 degrees (F), which is the temperature that kills/prevents from growing most types of harmful germs.  Just make sure it doesn't sit out for over 4-5 hours.

Answer 2

If you pop something in the fridge when it's still hot, you get a lot of condensation on the lid or the wrapper, but in my experience it doesn't cause any other problems.  I usually refridgerate when I'm sure everyone in the house has finished seconds before putting it away.

Answer 3

I always struggle with this one too. In theory it's better not to put the hot food in the fridge right away as this cause the temperature in the fridge to go up and could cause the other foods to go off.

In an ideal world, you'd put your hot food in a container or bowl and set it in an ice bath to drop the temperature of the cooked food rapidly, this would limit the chance of bacteria growth.

I let it cool off on the counter until just slightly warm to the touch and then put it in the fridge. (But if my fridge is quite full, I wait until the food is cool.)

Refrigerators work by removing the heat of the item...not by adding cool air.

I kow this is not the way it's supose to be done, but I've not been sick...yet.

Answer 4

If you have a large quantity of something hot and you put it in the fridge, it will raise the temperature of the entire fridge and everything will take longer to cool, so that's why you should wait until it is not hot. Only if it's really big though, like a turkey or a huge pot of soup. With smaller things it's okay to put them straight into the fridge.

Answer 5

First you should let ti come down to room temp. Then place it in the fridge.

Fridge: It is better for the fridge because it saves energy

Food: Some foods that shoul not be cooled suddenly so let it cool

Answer 6

I try to let it cool a bit. To be safe cold foods should be at 40 degrees F or below.

Answer 7

leave it out for about 30 minutes foods shouldn't be place right away in the frig cuz it wastes energy and it ruins the food

Answer 8

I know that it would be better for the fridge because the way a fridge works is that it doesn't send out cool air to help bring down the temperature, it basically just removes the warm air. I think I might have read somewhere that putting warm food into the fridge can also lead to bacteria forming but I can't be sure about that one. Everything causes bacteria these days!

Answer 9

According to the South Carolina Department of Health pamplet for Occasional Caterers, cooked foods should be refrigerated as soon as possible as they cool down quicker in the refrigerator. Food left at room temperature is more prone to the formation of bacteria.

Answer 10

as soon as it's cool down, refrigerating it hot, causes virusus and bacteria to grow faster and spoil the food.

Answer 11

You should let it cool to warm - if you put the food in the fridge too hot, it causes bacteria to grow, plus it puts a strain on your fridge because it has to compensate for the heat by working harder to get itself cold again. IF you leave the food out too long before putting it in the fridge, bacteria can grow then as well. Bacteria can grow faster on food than most people think and people get food poisoning more often than they realize because of this.

Answer 12

"[L]eaving food out too long at room temperature can cause bacteria (such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enteriditis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Campylobacter) to grow to dangerous levels that can cause illness."

"Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 ° and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." That's why the Meat and Poultry Hotline advises consumers to never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours. If the temperature is above 90 °F, food should not be left out more than 1 hour."

Here's the whole fact sheet from the USDA:  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/How...

Gross, huh?