Why Is My Crisper Drawer Freezing Food?

You open your refrigerator to grab some fruits and veggies for dinner, when suddenly you realize everything in your crisper drawer has frozen over. While your strawberries might be fine, those leafy greens won’t be. And now you’ve got a problem: your fridge vegetable drawer is freezing your produce, leading to wasted food and wasted money.

Read on to learn some of the common causes of fruits and vegetables freezing in a refrigerator drawer, and when it could be a sign of a larger problem with your appliance.

5 Reasons Your Refrigerator Vegetable Drawer Is Freezing Food

Crispers, also known as produce or humidity drawers, are refrigerator compartments designed to provide a more humid environment to keep fruits and vegetables fresher for longer. Here are some reasons those fresh foods might be freezing in the fridge:

Cold Air Exposure

Your crisper drawers sit at the bottom of the fridge, right in the path where chilled air enters the main compartment. If the air damper, the small flap that controls how much cold air flows in from the freezer, gets stuck open or breaks, it allows a constant stream of below-freezing air to blow directly onto your produce.

This is particularly common in refrigerators with freezer drawers on the bottom, as it places even more freezing cold airflow near the crispers. If your air damper is causing problems, you might notice your ice-maker isn’t working as well as it should, either.

Your Humidity or Temperature Settings Are Off

Many crisper drawers feature humidity sliders that control how much moisture escapes the drawer. Since the lowest level of your fridge is naturally the coldest pocket already, completely closing the humidity vents can lead to trapped moisture on your produce. This trapped moisture may then freeze over when chilled air passes through.

Similarly, setting your overall temperature settings below the recommended range of 37-40ºF (3-4ºC) can drop the lowest shelf below freezing, causing fresh foods to freeze no matter where the humidity sliders are set.

Blocked Airflow

To work properly, the air in your fridge needs to circulate. If you’ve got old pickle jars and leftovers blocking air vents along the back or side of your fridge, cold air can get trapped with nowhere to go but down into your crisper drawer. This is because dense, cold air naturally sinks to the lowest point of the fridge, where it can pool and inadvertently freeze foods.

Your Drawer Is Overstuffed

There’s only so much room in your crisper drawers, and packing them to the brim with produce can lead to pockets of trapped, concentrated cold air with nowhere else to go. This often causes produce on the edges of the drawer to freeze from prolonged cold exposure, similar to how poorly wrapped food in the freezer develops freezer burn.

Your Fridge Is Getting Old

While a fridge’s ability to cool might seem like second nature, modern refrigerators consist of a lot of complicated parts that operate 24/7 to preserve our food. Eventually, as critical parts like your refrigerator’s temperature sensor, compressor, or even door seals wear out, the system struggles to cycle off. As a result, your fridge may dump endless cold air that winds up in the crisper drawer, freezing your produce.

If your fridge cools out of control, it might be time to consider a replacement. Check out our refrigerator buying guide for a wide variety of rent-to-own fridges to suit your needs and save your vegetables from an icy fate.

Crisper Drawer Freezing? What’s Normal and What’s Not

Think about how often you find fresh foods frozen in your crisper drawer. The occasional frosty veggie is no big deal and may even be expected. It can happen temporarily after loading a large batch of room-temperature groceries, which can cause the compressor to run longer to bring temperatures down again.

However, if the food in your crisper is consistently freezing regardless of your temperature settings, it could be a sign that your refrigerator’s temperature sensor or air damper is failing. At that point, it’s time to think about repairs or replacement.

Freshen Up Your Fridge at Rent-A-Center

With Rent-A-Center’s rent-to-own refrigerators, you can bring home a dependable appliance that helps keep food fresh and ultimately reduces waste. With flexible rent-to-own options, it’s easier to upgrade your kitchen with a fridge that works for your household. Browse online or visit your local Rent-A-Center today.