"Mike S." wrote in message

Also, shouldn't we wait about 24 hrs before putting the food in the
refrigerator? The instructions say to wait that long or the food could
spoil. My father thinks we should wait until the temp. reaches 35
degrees even if that's in 12 hrs.

24 hours sounds good on paper, but what do you do iwth the food in the
meantime? Put it in as soon as you have to. It will take a little while to
get down to temperature, but that is till better than leaving it sit out.
If you have the luxury of a second fridge, then let the new one come down to
operating temperature. Listen to Dad.