The different settings for a fridge can be confusing, so this article aims to help you better understand your fridge. If the settings on your fridge range from 1-6, then 6 is the coldest and 1 is the warmest. If you set your fridge as low as 6 your food may start to freeze. If you like your food really cold you could set it to 5, but freezing may still occur so it is probably best not to set your fridge much lower than 4.

The time of year affects how hard your fridge has to work to keep your food cool. To save a bit of money and energy in winter you could turn your fridge to a higher setting, such as 2 or 3, as the outside temperature is cooler. Similarly in summer you may want to turn your fridge to a lower setting such as 4 or 5 to ensure your food stays as cool as possible in the warmer weather. This method does depend on where your fridge is stored, for example, if you keep your fridge in a garage it will really be affected by changes in seasonal temperature. If you keep your fridge inside you may find you still want to have the fridge on a low setting during winter as it will have to battle against the warmth of your central heating.

You can buy a fridge/freezer thermometer for just a few pounds from most kitchenware suppliers. You can then use the thermometer to test the different settings of your fridge and see which setting best suits the food and drinks you buy. You can set your fridge to a particular setting, then use the thermometer to check the temperature. If you find your food is not keeping very well or is beginning to freeze you could turn the setting up or down whilst checking the temperature on the thermometer. With this technique you should be able to find the optimum temperature for your food needs, and if your fridge has a turning dial rather than a digital setting you may find that an in-between setting is best, for example half way between 3 and 4. The advantage of using a thermometer to check your fridge setting is you can monitor changes in temperature as a result of seasonal changes or changes in the content of your fridge, as the more food in the fridge the less air can circulate which affects the temperature. The bottom of the fridge is the coldest point, so when monitoring the temperature of the fridge with a thermometer it is best to place it in the middle of the fridge to get a better average temperature. The average temperature of the fridge should be about 50 C so you can adjust the setting of your fridge until this temperature is achieved. If you want to be exact and adjust the setting of the fridge so that the optimum temperature is achieved throughout the fridge, the temperature at the bottom of the fridge should be about 20C and the top should be about 80C. The main thing to avoid is any setting that reaches 00C or lower as this will freeze your food.