Question What does putting hot food into the refrigerator do to the food already in the refrigerator? Does it spoil the milk of warm the food already in there, or does it make the refrigerator work harder?
Answer Depending on how large a mass of warm food you place in the refrigerator, the affects would range from very little to causing the temperature in the refrigerator to rise for an extended period of time. In a very small refrigerator placing a large pot of warm soup, for example, may cause the refrigerator's ambient temperature to rise to unsafe levels for a day or more. The longer the refrigerator is above a safe level the more likely the other food will rise in temp as well. Refrigerators should hold at 41 degrees or below.
