Method 1: Use a dedicated appliance thermometer

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends that businesses use a dedicated appliance thermometer to monitor refrigerator temperature. These are widely available from high street and online stores.

Appliance thermometers come in many different designs. Some provide digital readouts while others have analogue dials. If you need guidance on the best models, there are online comparison guides.

Check the user instructions for precise instructions on how to check fridge temperature with your chosen model.

Method 2: Use a standard room thermometer

There are conflicting instructions on how to check fridge temperature with a room thermometer, but there are basically two things to remember:

First, if you can immerse your thermometer in water, you will get a more stable temperature reading because water gains and loses heat much more slowly than the air.

Second, you must leave the thermometer in place for at least 5 hours (preferably longer) to give it enough time to cool down.

Method 3: Use a sterilised food probe

While a food probe is not the most efficient way of measuring fridge temperature, it does enable you to check the real temperature of food. This can be useful for testing high risk foods such as meat and fish if you don't have time to wait for a standard thermometer to cool.

Place the probe into the thickest part of the product. If you are unable to pierce the actual product (e.g., you are testing packaged foods), you should place the probe between packets.

If you're wondering how to check fridge temperature probes for accuracy, you can place them in a bag of crushed ice. If the reading is between -0.5°C and 0.5°C your probe is accurate.

If you are confident that your fridge is cool enough, it may be worth testing your fridge thermostat to see if this needs replacing. To do this, you will need to unplug your fridge from the mains, locate and disconnect the thermostat and use a multimeter to check for changes in current. Check your warranty first because you may invalidate it if you start attempting repairs yourself.

Please note that the above advice on how to check fridge temperature is for general information only. For specific food safety guidance, refer to the latest FSA guidance.

What to do if your fridge temperature is too high

Whichever method you use to check your fridge's temperature, if it exceeds the maximum allowed (5°C in the UK), you will need to take action. Once you've dealt with the food in accordance with food safety law, we recommend you check your fridge for any obvious issues (pump not working, iced up components, etc.) If there is significant difference between the temperature at the top and bottom of your fridge, you could have an issue with your fan.

If you can't find the culprit, give your fridge gaskets a good clean following the advice in our companion articles. Dirty gaskets can compromise the magnetic seal your gasket makes with the fridge body, so sometimes a good clean is enough to solve the warming problem. If this doesn't work, check your gasket for signs of damage and replace it if necessary.

Our website includes plenty of advice for locating the right seal for your fridge, but please get in touch if you need any assistance.