Do you put hot food in the fridge?
By Diana
@dya80dya (33675)
September 23, 2021 9:58am CST
I never put hot food in the fridge. I read that the food should stay in the fridge within 2 hours of preparation. I read somewhere that it's wrong to put hot food in the fridge. But some people still put hot food in the fridge. They are too impatient to wait for it to cool down.
I wait until the food cools down and after that, I put it in the fridge. Do you do the same?
11 people like this
13 responses
@pitsipeahie (4338)
•
23 Sep 21
I do the same. It's not a good idea to put warm food inside the fridge. Always let it cool down first.
3 people like this
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
23 Sep 21
Putting hot food in the fridge will certainly cool the food down quicker but it is also likely to raise the temperature of the fridge, and therefore of the rest of the contents, above the safe level, meaning that ALL of the food in the fridge could potentially spoil.
Food should always be allowed to cool naturally before being put into the fridge.
2 people like this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
23 Sep 21
Putting hot food in the ref often would make it work harder shortening the life of your appliance and make it consume more power.
Some say the practice promotes bacterial growth but im not so sure about this.
2 people like this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
24 Sep 21
@DaddyEvil a lot of people still adhere to the myth, perhaps as one responder mentioned it would raise the temperature inside the fridge that might not be ideal to other items inside and would cause those to spoil, we all know what bacteria from those foods could do to the rest given ideal mediums and temperatures for growth and multiplication. there's a big possibility it would do it indirectly.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
24 Sep 21
@louievill A lot of people here still believe the myth, too. It's very pervasive.
I just don't want people I know to get food poisoning from doing something like that.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
23 Sep 21
It doesn't promote bacterial growth in the hot food you put into the fridge but it can cause everything else in the fridge with it problems.
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) advises that small amounts of hot foods may be immediately and safely placed into the fridge (2). ... Large dishes of hot leftovers may heat the surrounding foods, placing them in the temperature danger zone and increasing your risk of foodborne illness." Excerpt taken from:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/can-you-put-hot-food-in-the-fridge
2 people like this
@1creekgirl (40636)
• United States
23 Sep 21
I read that putting food in fridge when very hot can lead to bacteria growth.
3 people like this
@RebeccasFarm (86828)
• United States
23 Sep 21
I do not, I always let it cool first.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
23 Sep 21
We let the food cool down on the counter before putting it into the fridge. It wastes electricity to put hot food into the fridge.
2 people like this
@Spontaneo (14703)
• United States
23 Sep 21
I do not place hot food in the fridge either.
2 people like this
@Lignitecityabishek96 (7110)
• Cuddalore, India
23 Sep 21
Placing hot food in fridge can make the food to spoil.
2 people like this
