>baldycotton2 writes:
>
>>Far as I can tell, someone (Ted) wrote:
>>
>>Did the "rules" on food safety change ? I had been taught in the
>>military that the freezer was to be at 15 - 20 below zero and the fridge
>>part at 34 - 36 degrees.
>
>FWIW...
>
>The government rules for commercial restaurant type reefers is 33 - 42.
>This is the bottom of the "safety zone where germs have a really hard
>time existing.

"germs" exist quite well in that temperature range, most just have a more
difficult time proliferating as rapidly as at higher temperatures such as
normal room temperature.... germs exist quite well at freezer temperatures too,
in fact the freezer is a great place to storing yeast to extend its usable
life.

>32-34 is just too much accuracy to demand, especially considering that a
>free standing thermometer may well show a different reading than
>another.

Modern thermometers are extremely accurate and reliable for repeatability...
+/- .01º F accuracy is common with electronic units. Btw, the correct method
for checking refrigerator temperature is to place the thermometer probe into a
glass of water.. far less fluctuation, especially when the door is opened.

>For freezers, zero is the safe temp for long term storage.

"long term" is a meaningless expression... how long and for which foods.

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