Why you shouldn’t put hot food in the refrigerator

The refrigerator should be used to store food for a long time, not to quickly cool a freshly prepared hot dish. Therefore, experts do not advise putting hot food in the refrigerator. What are the reasons why you can’t put hot food in the refrigerator? You can identify a number of good reasons, each of which will be a great answer to this prohibition.

Accelerated Wear and Tear of Equipment

If you put hot food in the refrigerator, the temperature regime can be immediately disrupted. This cannot be avoided. The sensors will immediately react to changes in temperature in the equipment. That is, they can cause the compressor to start working at an accelerated rate to remove excess heat.

In an ideal state, the device should work periodically, then turn on, then turn off for a while. Thanks to this cycle, you can extend the life of the equipment.

If the sensors start to constantly make the equipment work, the result will be disappointing. This will be the cause of equipment wear and tear.

Deterioration of the Quality of Stored Food

The temperature changes caused by the hot food placed in the refrigerator adversely affect the quality of other products. This is because their storage conditions will be violated. This will be especially negative for dairy products, vegetables and fruits. And it will also unfavorably affect the taste properties of ready meals – some products that are next to a hot dish may have an unpleasant aftertaste. This is especially noticeable with alcohol, salads and sauces. Another reason why the refrigerator is not used to quickly cool freshly prepared food is the deterioration of the taste properties of the hot dishes themselves.

The entry of hot food into freezer compartments is very dangerous: since products should not be re-frozen after thawing due to changes in the structure of the product, they spoil quickly after exposure to elevated temperatures.

The Appearance of Frost

From hot dishes in the refrigerator, a lot of steam will appear, which will become droplets of water that will settle in the form of condensation. Over time, the accumulated steam causes the appearance of a “cap” of snow, which disrupts the operation of the entire unit.

Danger to Equipment with a Drip Cooling System

If the refrigerator has a similar cooling system, putting hot food is very dangerous: much more condensation will form from it, which will cause an increase in humidity. Excess frozen steam can form a thick layer of ice on the back walls. In the normal state, the compressor can cool for no more than 10% of the time, if there is hot food in the refrigerator, it will probably work continuously for several hours. The equipment will quickly break down due to overheating.

Is There a Risk for Refrigeration Equipment with the No Frost System?

New units often provide the ability to cool ready meals, they are usually allocated special compartments. The temperature here drops so quickly that frost does not appear.

But the electricity consumption in this process is excessively increased. Due to this factor, the load on electrical equipment also increases, which can also increase the likelihood of failure.

Although manufacturers and sellers often say that the probability is absent, cases of damage to expensive appliances due to excessive heating are quite common. Sometimes the equipment still works, only certain components fail, which cannot withstand thermal effects.

Damage to Dishes and Glass Due to a Sharp Temperature Drop

If you put a hot pan on plastic elements, they usually melt, deform from thermal exposure.

Dishes can react negatively to strong changes: exposure to first hot food, and then a cold environment often becomes the appearance of cracks on containers placed in the cold.

If small cracks appear on the enamel of the pan or the coating of the frying pan, the dishes should be thrown away: their further use can harm health. Porcelain or ceramic dishes can be damaged much faster.

Glass parts of the refrigerator can also be damaged: the temperature drop also has a very strong effect on them.

Given the reasons listed above why you can’t put hot food in the refrigerator, draw the right conclusions and it is better not to risk either dishes or refrigeration equipment.