Chook Me!

Is it safe to take something (hot wings, chicken, etc) straight out the oven into the fridge?

Last night I put some frozen hot wings in the oven for lunch the next day and took them out without letting them cool down and put them directly into the refridgerator. Someone told me that shocks food and isn't safe, is this true? Please enlighten, I'm a bit nervous to eat my lunch today.

Public Comments

1. no they say its ok to do that..I have taken food service classes and I think you wiill be just fine
2. For the most part, that is true. You should let it cool down a bit before putting it into the fridge, such extreme changes in temperature usually ferment the food faster, or cause it to go bad so to speak.
3. Technically, if you have hot food...you need to cool it down as quickly as possible. I've read that you're suppose to put the hot food in the freezer for a little while. This way the food spends less time in the "danger zone" (the temperature where bacteria reproduces the quickest). But honestly, I put hot food i the fridge all the time...and I'm still here. So I wouldn't worry about it.
4. not sure it shocks the food but it makes your refrigerator run more.your heating the fridge.your supposed to let it cool first
5. It is safe as long as the food was fully cooked. The meat might be a little bit tough though because of the fast change in temperatures.
6. depends if you cooked it in a glass or pottery pan that is thin or weak it may shatter but otherwise it will just waist your energy because your heating the fridge
7. No, I don't think that is true. I read somewhere that it's actually better to get leftovers in the fridge as soon as possible becuase the longer they sit out the more of a chance there is for bacteria to grow. Just make sure when you heat your food you make sure it is hot. Plus, if you think about it, the wings aren't going to get cold right away, they will cool down slowly to a safe temperature. You'll be fine! Enjoy your lunch!
8. There is so much debate about this. Some say it lets germs breed more freely, while others say it's more hygienic to put it in the fridge while hot. Some people don't do it simply because it makes the fridge work harder and some people don't do it because it makes the food watery (from the steam). I don't think it will harm you either way.
9. No it doesn't shock the food. You want it too cool a bit, because it can warm your fridge. Also the condensation caused, can get trapped in the container and cause the food to go bad. You should let food cool to room temp before you refrigerate it. I would smell the food after you warm it to make sure it's good, I think you should be fine though.
10. if its a commercial fridge yes if not let it cool a bit then put in fridge otherwise it can screw up the temp control on your fridge and possibly make the fridge stop working (it happened to me)
11. Its edible. From a spiritual standpoint, i think you should not treat food like that. Food is sacred and should be treated as such. There is bad karma in doing that. Also, that shocks food and will make it taste different. As far as if it is safe. I would say that it is safe to it. Just dont do it again. Next time let the food cool off a bit. Then put it on the fridge. The shock is not that big since you are putting it inside a container (which delays the cooling of the food) into the fridge. If it was the freezer then we are talking of a bigger shock. Also, you are not being energy efficient if you are doing that. Your making your fridge work harder.
12. it isn't good to do that. You need to let the food cool first before you put it in the fridge because bacteria can grow on the food while it is cooling down in the fridge. If you put food that was immediatly cooked in the refrigerator it is more likely to become contaminated because the food spends more time at a temperature that bacteria can grow at. Depending on the size of the dish you are supposed to check the temperature of the center the dish (because the food is much warmer inside of it,) before you refrigerate it.
13. I don't think it does anything bad to the food, but I would recommend you let them cool for about 10 min before putting them in the freezer.
14. Doesn't matter at all.... never take something from the oven, that is in a glass dish, and put directly in the freezer, the dish can shatter... Putting hot food in the fridge will not harm the food...