Don’t put hot food straight into the refrigerator; cool it first
Let hot cooked foods cool to about room temperature before refrigerating so they cool properly and don’t warm the fridge.
Using beef stew as an example, the video says hot foods shouldn’t go directly into the refrigerator. It explains that hot, liquid foods won’t cool quickly enough in the fridge and can also raise the temperature of other refrigerated items; instead, cool outside the fridge first, then refrigerate.
The short version
- Hot foods may not cool fast enough in the fridge
- Hot food can warm the refrigerator and other items
- Cool first (to ~room temp), then refrigerate
What goes wrong
Putting a hot pot of stew straight into the refrigerator
Cool it outside the fridge first, then store it refrigerated
Why it works
Large hot masses cool slowly and can keep food in the danger zone; adding heat to the fridge can compromise safe temperatures for other foods.
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