The Reason You Should Store Soda In Your Refrigerator Door
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Cracking open a cold soda on a hot day, on the couch in front of a basketball game, or pouring it over ice cream is one of the finer simple pleasures in life. Storing soda in your refrigerator door is a convenient way to have those refreshing drinks handy whenever you need them. It's also the ideal location to keep them fresher. Like all beverages, there's an ideal temperature for enjoying a can of pop to the fullest.
The USDA advises that refrigerators should always maintain an internal temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Pathogenic bacteria, they report, can grow rapidly in the temperature range between 40 and 140 degrees. This is the bacteria responsible for foodborne illnesses. The most dangerous part of pathogenic bacteria is its insidiousness: these bacteria usually don't alter the taste, smell, or coloration of food and produce, which makes it incredibly tough to notice when they're present. Yikes.
Luckily, soda doesn't "spoil" quickly in a temperature-regulated fridge, although it can lose its carbonation, according to Can it Go Bad. Counter pressure canning is an incredibly effective method of preservation, CODI says, and bulk cases of pop are kept unrefrigerated in most grocery store displays. So, why does it matter where in the fridge you stack those cans?
Crack a cold one -- but not too cold
According to Singapore Food Agency, the door of the fridge is tougher to regulate than the rest of the refrigerator. Items are stored in closer proximity to the opening of the fridge, so the more you open and close your fridge, the more you contribute to making your fridge door warmer than anywhere else inside. The site reports that this is why foods such as milk, eggs, and cheese are more easily affected by temperature and should be stored at the back of the fridge for maximum coldness. CBC says the lower shelves are the coldest; stick your dairy products as low as you can go.
But lining your refrigerator door with soda cans isn't just a tactical preservation move or an aesthetically pleasing exercise in color coordination. A spokesperson from Pepsi recommends 42 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for cracking open one of their sodas, per Drink Fridge. Michael Mascha, author of "Fine Waters: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Most Distinctive Bottled Waters," warns against drinking chilled beverages too cold. Doing so, he says, can numb the taste buds, via Amazon.
The beverage connoisseurs at Drink Fridge agree. Since most household refrigerators typically sit at 35 degrees, which is colder than recommended, they suggest letting chilled drinks sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before cracking them open. Your patience will pay off. But whether you wait for that perfect 42 degrees or dive right in, keeping those cans in the door is a pro-move. You're well on your way to sipping like a caffeine connoisseur.