We rely on commercial fridges to store all kinds of products in the hospitality and catering industry. From fresh produce to meat, catered meals and more a commercial fridge is a key piece of equipment every business in the food and produce sector needs.
To benefit your products in several ways your commercial fridge should be set to a certain temperature. But what is the ideal temperature your fridge should be set at? In this article, we’ll detail which temperatures are best for your commercial fridge and why.
For personalised advice, contact our team at Tempright Refrigeration Services today.
Why Maintaining the Right Temperature Matters
Ensuring your commercial fridge is set to and maintains the right temperature is critical in the food industry. The wrong temperature can cause food to spoil faster, resulting in losses for your business and even potential hazards for you and your customers.
Likewise, storing food and other products at the correct temperature can increase its lifespan. This means you don’t have to rush to get rid of your products and ensures you get the most out of every expense.
Overall, your fridge temperature is the best way to combat spoiling foods and meet important health and safety regulations.
What is the Right Temperature?
It’s important to balance the temperature of your commercial fridge carefully. The ideal range lies between 2 degrees Celcius and 7 degrees Celcius. Any temperatures lower than 2 degrees often result in your products and produce freezing. This can damage their integrity as well as their nutrition, impacting their taste.
Setting your commercial fridge any higher than 7 degrees will likely quicken the growth of bacteria and decomposition. This results in food spoiling faster than anticipated, resulting in higher costs and more expenses.
Checking Your Commercial Fridge
If you know what temperature your fridge should be set at then the next step is to ensure your fridge is matching and maintaining it. To check this should be simple, most commercial fridges come with a thermostat that is easily visible to you or your workers.
Often this is set just inside the fridge near the door. However, if your fridge comes with a digital control panel its internal temperature may be displayed here instead. If you have difficulty spotting your fridge thermostat it may also be behind a panel or protective cover.
If your commercial fridge does not come with a built-in or attached thermostat, you can usually check it with a separate thermostat.
Setting The Temperature of Your Commercial Fridge
While each fridge unit comes with instructions that you should check, here are some different ways your fridge could be adjusted. This process is usually simple and fairly reliable across different types of fridges.
If you have a standard fridge, it will likely have a dial attached to the thermostat that you can turn to increase or decrease your temperature. Similarly, if your fridge has a control panel often it is as easy as pressing the ‘set’ button and adjusting the temperature from there.
Maintaining Your Preferred Temperature
Over time, fridges can become run down. This can cause their temperatures to fluctuate or their energy consumption to increase. Check your commercial fridge’s temperature regularly to ensure it’s maintaining the desired setting. If you’ve noticed your thermostat changing, an increase in energy costs or food that is spoiling or freezing, you may need your fridge to be checked by a professional to ensure it is working efficiently and effectively.
Likewise, mishandling can impact the reliability of your refrigeration. If you or your staff constantly open and close your refrigerators or leave them open, you are letting the cool temperatures escape. Similarly, your food will become exposed to warmer temperatures speeding up their decomposition.
Furthermore, filling your commercial fridge with too much product can impede the refrigerated air. This can mean that depending on their position, certain products get too much refrigeration and others get too little.
To avoid this, try to avoid stacking too many products on top of each other. Use the shelving that your commercial fridge is designed with to optimise your storage space correctly.
Your Refrigeration Experts
At Tempright Refrigeration Services, we can help you navigate and meet your commercial refrigeration needs. Whether you need a new unit installed or in-depth inspection and repair services, we’re the team you can trust to deliver results.
Trust your refrigerator to maintain the temperature that is right for you. Increase your product lifespan and save on energy costs with the right system. Reach out to our team today to get expert advice and support to make your business the best it can be.
