Many people are not actually aware of what the numbers on the dial inside their fridge really mean and could be risking letting their food go off far quicker than they would like
Inside every fridge is a dial with a series of numbers but most people have but lots of people have no idea what it really means and what a crucial role it plays in keeping all your food as fresh as possible.
The small dial, normally located close to the door hinge of your fridge controls the internal temperature of the appliance – but not in the way you might expect. Misunderstanding the function of this dial could lead to your food, whether that’s cheese, veggies, fruit, or meat, going off and becoming totally inedible. And let’s face it, that’s a waste of your hard-earned cash – something we’re all keen to avoid.
Whether you’re a super organised meal prepper or prefer to whip up whatever recipe you fancy on the day everyone needs to understand exactly how this dial works to ensure the longest life span possible of your food and drinks. Social media users took to Reddit asking for clarification on how this dial actually works, with many of them commenting that they actually had no idea how to use this function on the hard-wearing appliance that is the centre of most people’s kitchens. “Thank god I’m not the only one confused by this.” wrote one, with another joking that this is the question “that 80% of UK citizens are too polite to ask” after all this time.
Luckily, a few in-the-know Reddit users were on hand to clear things up for the people who found themselves seriously confused, explaining that the dial does relate to the temperature inside your fridge, but, in a somewhat counterintuitive, way. The higher the number makes the fridge’s internal temperature colder, increasing the power usage of the fridge – but you would be forgiven for assuming it would actually be the other way around. So if you have ever turned the dial towards the lower numbers in an attempt to keep things colder and your food fresher – you might well have been doing the opposite, and heating things up inside the appliance.
“The numbers on the fridge’s temperature dial indicate refrigerant power. The higher the number goes the colder the fridge will maintain. Setting it to 5 will make your fridge the coldest. With this out of the way, it should be noted that a lower fridge temperature does not equal better food storage,” explained one helpful Reddit user.
However, other users were quick to point out that you should still be cautious when turning the dial upward and lowering the temperature because if you move it to the coldest setting, you could end up freezing foods that aren’t suitable to be stored in such cold temperatures. “Beware of going all the way to 6 (or whatever). Stuff at the back, near the cooling surface, can freeze,” claimed one commenter.
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