If you’re like most people, you probably don’t think too much about how you put food away after cooking it. You might just take the dish from the stove to the refrigerator without giving it a second thought.
However, there are some guidelines you should follow if you want to keep your food safe and fresh. So, is it OK to put hot food directly into the fridge?
As a general guide, hot food can be put directly into the fridge. Typically, when storing hot food directly in the refrigerator, the best practice is to portion them appropriately, and stored in slightly shallow food storage containers.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the important food safety guidelines you should follow when eating hot foods.
Is It OK To Put Hot Food Directly Into The Fridge?
Hot foods can be stored in the refrigerator. It’s safe to put hot food directly into the fridge as long as you do so quickly and without a lot of delays.
Let’s face it, there are so many myths and misconceptions about how hot food is stored away in the refrigerator soon after cooking it.
Some say you should wait until it cools down, while others say nope, just put it in the fridge as long as it is only warm.
No wonder many homemakers often wonder and ask if it is OK to put hot food directly into the fridge.
If you are putting hot food directly into the fridge, ensure that the cover is slightly open so as to allow for ventilation. This way it will speed up the cooling process.
On another note, do take note that there are some foods or dishes that should not be stored in the refrigerator even when it’s still hot. Popular examples include rice and pasta.
If you’re cooking soups, stews and casseroles, do ensure that they’re cooled to room temperature before they are put into the fridge. Temperature differences in the fridge may cause bacterial growth and will increase the chances of food poisoning and spoilage.
Overall, there is no adverse effect to putting hot food directly into the fridge. However, it is still recommended for food safety purposes that you allow the hot food to cool down to room temperature prior to storage in the refrigerator.
Cold Food Storage Guidelines
The following are some of the most common foods and their respective recommended cold storage guidelines:
- 10 minutes at room temperature or 6 hours in the fridge – Pancake syrups, jams, jellies, preserves
- 4 hours at room temperature or 2 days in the fridge – Cooked pasta
- 2-3 hours at room temperature or 1-2 days in the fridge – Cooked rice
- 1-2 hours at room temperature or 5 hours in the fridge – Cooked cereal
- 1 hour at room temperature or 5 days in the fridge – Meat pies, lasagna, cooked vegetables
- 4 hours at room temperature or 2 days in the fridge – Soymilk and rice milk
- 2 hours at room temperature or 5 days in the fridge – Butter; cream cheese; margarine (in a tub)
- 2 hours at room temperature or 5 days in the fridge – Cream; creme fraiche; sour cream (in a tub)
- 1 hour at room temperature or 3 days in the fridge – Cottage cheese (in a tub), cream cheese (in an unopened package); ricotta (in an unopened package)
What happens when you put warm food in the fridge?
With so many myths about the etiguate of storing hot food in the fridge seculating around, you are not alone if you are wondering what actually happens when you put warm food in the fridge.
Typically, putting warm food in the fridge has not impact on the food, taste of food or the nutritive value of it. All the food does is cool down and stop cooking as a result of this. This means that all those bacteria in your warm food will become inactive as it cools down, allowing you more time before having to cook or eat those foods.
However, there are some foods that should not be stored in the fridge even when it’s still hot. Popular examples include rice and pasta.
Additionally, some foods should be allowed to cool down to room temperature before being stored in the fridge. Some of these popular examples for this includes soups, stews and casseroles.
At the end of the day, if you are wondering whether it is OK to put hot food directly into the fridge, the general rule of thumb is to allow for it to cool down to room temperature before being stored in the fridge.
Conclusion
Many people are often confused about how to store hot food in the fridge. We hope this blog post has helped you figure out that it is best to portion your food appropriately and place them in shallow containers before storing them directly into your refrigerator.
Unless you are cooking pasta or rice, putting hot food directly into a refrigerator is perfectly fine. As for how much time before it cools down and when you should add the food, refer to the above guideline.
However, some foods should not be stored in a refrigerator even though they are still hot such as rice and pasta. Other examples include soups, stews and casseroles. These should be allowed to cool down to room temperature before being placed in the fridge.