When you want to refrigerate a meal that you've cooked?

Question

Is it better to put it in the frig while it is still hot or let it cool and then stick it in the frig?

Answer 1

I wait until its cool

Answer 2

You need to let it cool then put it in a glass container or wrap in Aluminum Foil.

Answer 3

Let it cool off...if you put it in the ice box hot, condensation will form, and your food gets all mushy.

Answer 4

let cool to 140 degrees then refrigerate to bring down below 45 degrees in a shallow pan within 2 hours temp should be below 45 degrees..

www.cdhd.idaho.gov/pdfs/eh/CoolingChar...

Answer 5

you have to let it cool down first, then put in the fridge, But dont leave it out overnight. If you are not going to eat it the next day put it in a airtight container and freeze it

Answer 6

Let it cool first defienately. Some foods you can get food poisoning from if you put them in hot.

Answer 7

You want to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. The "danger zone" for bacteria is between 40-140 degrees. So if you're not going to be eating it right away, you want it to be at the halfway point towards 40 degrees within the first two hours, and below 40 degrees within the first four hours. So, you want to get it cooled off as soon as possible. So stick it in the fridge. If you have a large batch, like a pot of chili, do batch chilling- put it in smaller containers to let it cool quickly.  

Answer 8

I just leave it in the pans and serve family style and when were done eating put it away. No one in my house has died YET!

lol    

Answer 9

I let it cool for about 15-20 minutes then refrigerate it. There is a 2 hour buffer zone on most foods before bacteria starts to grow when left out at room temp.