Slow Down! Why You Should Let Your Leftovers Cool Off

What do you do with leftover food when you are done cooking it? Do you throw it in the refrigerator right away? If so, take a minute to read why this isn't such a great idea.

By placing a large container full of hot food straight into your cold refrigerator, you are disrupting a climate which your appliance has been working very hard to maintain. This can have all kinds of negative effects on your appliance, your food, and even your health.

Here are three negative consequences of placing hot food in your refrigerator:

• Increased workload on your compressor. Your compressor is the heart of your refrigerator; you want to do everything possible to keep its workload as light as possible. By placing hot food in your fridge, you will send the compressor into overdrive, causing extra wear-and-tear while also increasing your energy consumption.
• Potential spike in bacteria growth. To limit bacteria in your food, your refrigerator should be set to a temperature between 34-39° F. After 40°, bacteria growth rates begin to skyrocket. If your refrigerator is already near or at 39°, introducing a hot batch of food could cause the whole interior to climb above 40° – also known as the “danger zone”.
• Soggy leftovers. Placing hot food in a cold fridge will cause it to produce a lot of steam due to the rapid temperature change. If your food is in a sealed container, this steam will have nowhere to go and turn into a significant amount of condensation. This water will be left sitting in your food, sometimes it is enough to form a small puddle at the bottom of the container.

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