Maintaining proper temperatures for your fridge and freezer is essential for preventing bacteria from growing and spoiling your food. It's important to know what temperatures to set for these appliances, and you need to know how to check and maintain them so your food is kept in a suitable environment.
A fridge generally should sit around 37 degrees Fahrenheit, so setting your fridge to anywhere from 35 degrees to 38 will do just fine. This is the proper temperature that prevents bacteria from multiplying at a quick rate without ice forming on your fruits and vegetables.
A freezer should stay well below the freezing marker, which is 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Having a freezer set to 0 degrees will make sure all foods stored in there will be safely frozen. If you're one who has food sitting in the freezer for a long time, try lowering the temperature to -10 or -20 degrees, as this will help prolong the life of the food.
Even after setting the temperature for your fridge and freezer, the temperature can fluctuate based on a number of external factors. There are a few things you can do to monitor your appliances and make sure that they are maintaining the proper temperatures to protect your food: