Walk-in temp war: 36°F vs 40°F. What's your call?

I've always kept my walk-in at 36°F for food safety, but my new sous chef swears 40°F saves the compressor and cuts the electric bill by $50 a month. We tried 40°F for a week and the lettuce started wilting faster. Which temp do you guys run and why?

2 comments

2 Comments

charlie_stone7212d ago

Went through the exact same fight with my last sous at a spot in Portland. We tested 40°F for two weeks back in 2022 and the lettuce turned to limp garbage, plus the prep cuts on tomatoes and berries showed moisture rot way faster. My compressor guy told me 36°F is actually easier on the unit because it cycles less often than 40°F which sits right in the danger zone where the fridge has to fight harder to keep up. That $50 savings claim sounds like bull unless you've got a brand new energy star unit. I've run 36°F for 12 years now, never had a compressor die early, and the produce stays crisp for days longer. Stick with 36.

joseph_lewis9212d ago

@charlie_stone72 made a good point about the cycling thing. I read somewhere that compressors actually run longer at 40F because the temp creeps up faster and triggers more startup cycles, which is what wears them out. Plus that "$50 savings" claim doesn't pass the sniff test to me either - I've seen the math on commercial fridge power draw and the difference between 36 and 40 is maybe 10 bucks a month, not fifty. The lettuce wilting is a dead giveaway that 40F is too warm for a working walk-in with door openings. I've always ran 36 at my last place and never had compressor issues or produce complaints. Stick with 36 and tell your sous to find savings somewhere else, like ordering smarter or cutting food waste.