Is it important to let food cool before putting it in the refrigerator?
You want to let your sausages cool to room temperature before putting them in the refrigerator. Basically, there are 6 things that bacteria love. You can remember this through an acronym entitled FATTOM. F: food (any type of food item that provides nutrients for microorganisms) A: acidity (the pH range where microorganisms can survive or grow) T: temperature (temperature range where microorganisms can survive or grow) T: time (time it takes for microorganisms to reproduce) O: oxygen (some microorganisms need oxygen to grow, some do not) M: moisture (water availability) If you put your sausages in the refrigerator while they’re still hot, all the steam coming from the meat creates moisture, one of the things bacteria loves. Letting your meat cool down reduces the moisture and the oxygen levels, thereby reducing the chances for bacteria to grow. Use this rule for all foods. Let them cool to room temp or you can cool them faster by putting the food in a container and putting the container
