What temperature should a fridge and freezer be?
2 min read · 8 steps · Updated 3 October 2026
Set the fridge so the inside is between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius and the freezer to about minus 18. Keep raw meat, poultry and fish covered on the bottom shelf, put leftovers in the fridge within one to two hours of cooking, and eat them within two days or freeze them.
Cold slows the bacteria that cause food poisoning. Between 8 and 63 degrees, which food safety authorities call the danger zone, they multiply quickly. A fridge that is a few degrees too warm lets food spoil days earlier, and most people never check theirs. These figures come from the UK government's food safety advice.
Step by step
Measure the real temperature
The dial in the fridge shows a setting, not degrees, and on many models a higher number means colder. Put a fridge thermometer on the middle shelf, wait a few hours and read it. It should show between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius.
Adjust and check again
Change the dial one step and measure again the next day. In summer and when the fridge is very full it may need a colder setting.
Set the freezer
A freezer should be at about minus 18 degrees Celsius. At that temperature bacteria do not grow, although they are not killed.
Put raw meat at the bottom
Store raw meat, poultry and fish in their packaging or in clean sealed containers on the bottom shelf, so nothing can drip onto other food. Keep cooked and ready-to-eat food above.
Cool leftovers quickly
Let cooked food cool at room temperature and put it in the fridge within one to two hours. Divide large amounts into flat containers so they cool faster. Do not put steaming hot pots in the fridge, as they warm everything around them.
Eat leftovers within two days
Eat leftovers within 48 hours, or freeze them if you will not. Rice needs extra care: cool it fast and keep it for one day only.
Defrost in the fridge
Thaw frozen food in the fridge, on a plate on the bottom shelf, not on the worktop. Use it within 24 hours once it has fully thawed.
Know what can be frozen again
Food that was thawed raw can be frozen again after it has been cooked. Reheat it only once after that.
Good to know
Food can be frozen up to the use by date on its label. A use by date is about safety and should not be passed. A best before date is about quality, and food is usually fine for some time after it.
Do not pack the fridge so tightly that air cannot move, and do not leave the door open for long.
The door is the warmest place. Keep milk on a shelf inside if it turns sour early.
An iced-up freezer cools worse and uses more power: how to defrost a freezer quickly and safely. Planning meals to waste less: how to save money on groceries.
In short: Fridge 0 to 5 degrees Celsius, freezer about minus 18. Raw meat covered at the bottom, leftovers chilled within one to two hours and eaten within 48 hours, defrost in the fridge.
- GOV.UK: How to chill, freeze and defrost food safely
Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.