'Hidden' fridge button helps keep your food last longer - but Brits overlook it

13 March 2024 , 13:28

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The dial is often overlooked (stock image) (Image: Getty Images)

There's another secret appliance button with a handy usage that has gone under the radar.

Have you ever bought something and put it in your fridge, only to proceed to forget about it and find that it's gone mouldy? Well, turns out there's a 'hidden' button that can help prevent this from happening.

This button, which is located in all fridges, is often overlooked, and many don't pay it any attention. But by making sure it's on the correct setting, you can help your food last longer.

The mysterious switch is the temperature button, which is often located inside the fridge itself - and is one of the best ways to make sure your food stays fresher for longer. It usually has numbers on it ranging from zero to five - but do you know what it's used for?

This is how you set the temperature of your fridge - but the numbers don't actually always correspond to how cold it is in degrees Celsius. Instead, these numbers represent the fridge's power - with five being the coldest.

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The Food Standards Agency advises fridges to be set at 5C and below. Anything over 8C can cause bacteria to grow rapidly on your food, meaning it won't last as long. The actual recommended setting will depend on the manufacturer, which you can find in the instruction manual.

According to Which?, the ideal temperature of your fridge is between OC and 5C. If you want to check the exact temperature inside your fridge, you should place a thermometer in a glass of water, and put it in the middle shelf. Ideally you should leave it overnight to get an accurate reading.

It's also important to remember that even if your thermostat is accurate, temperature will vary between shelves. The higher the shelf, the higher the temperature will be - which means you should carefully consider where to place certain items.

You should store cured meats, leftovers, cream cakes or anything else that doesn't need to be cooked on the top shelves. The bottom shelves should be reserved for raw meat, poultry and seafood, while fruit and vegetables should be stored in separate drawers.

Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz