NHS doctor answers age-old question about putting hot leftovers in a fridge

There is an age-old question that we all want the answer to - and it often happens after we've had a takeaway. Can we store hot food in the fridge?

Taking to TikTok, NHS GP, Dr Karan Raj aka @dr.karanr, answered the question and has finally put our minds at ease. He revealed to over five million of his followers that contrary to popular belief, you can and in fact, should.

In fact, you don't need to wait at all he said. In his video he explained: "In fact, the sooner you get your leftovers in the fridge, the better. Because it means your food spends less time outside the danger zone."

The temperature range is between four degrees and 60C, which is the equivalent to 40F and 140F. This is known as the "danger zone" with the doctor explaining that "this is where bacteria can grow more rapidly so it makes sense that cooling and storing your food in the fridge rather than letting it cool outside gets you out of this temperature range so it minimises bacterial growth and reduces the risk of food-borne illnesses".

The NHS GP addresses people who say they leave their food out, eat it the next day and feel fine. He continues: "Food safety is about reducing the risk and leaking from both ends from a food-borne illness. Just because you didn't want to put something in the fridge, is not a risk worth taking.

"Just by putting some hot food wouldn't magically raise the internal temperature of the fridge or heat up other foods. Modern refrigerators are pretty well designed to handle the introduction of hot food without significantly disrupting the internal temperature."

If you like making large quantities of food, the health expert says that it makes sense to store your food in smaller containers to speed up the cooling process. "You