Question

If you have hot food that you want to refrigerate:

a. cool it, then refrigerate it
b. put it in the refrigerator to cool
c. first cool it in the freezer
d. leave it out on the stove overnight

Answer 1

Cool hot food to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator to avoid raising the internal fridge temperature and to prevent bacterial growth. It's critical to not let food sit out for more than two hours to ensure safety.

Step-by-step explanation:

When you have hot food that you want to refrigerate, the correct action is to cool it, then refrigerate it. Placing hot food directly into the refrigerator can raise the temperature inside the fridge, leading to potential bacterial growth in all stored food. Therefore, you should allow the food to cool down to room temperature before placing it into the refrigerator. However, it's important not to leave hot food out on the stove or counter for more than two hours, as this enters the danger zone (between 40 and 140 degrees F), where bacteria can multiply rapidly and render the food unsafe to consume. The best practice is to cool the food quickly and ensure that the refrigerator temperature is maintained at or below 40 degrees F.