21
STORING FOOD AND SAVING ENERGY
Ideas for storing foods
Fresh food storage
• Keep the fresh food compartment between 34°F and
40°F with an optimum temperature of 37°F.
• Avoid overcrowding the refrigerator shelves, which
reduces air circulation and causes uneven cooling.
Fruits and vegetables
• Store fruits and vegetables in crisper drawers, where
trapped moisture helps preserve food quality for longer
time periods.
• Wash items and remove excess water.
• Wrap any items that have strong odors or high moisture
content.
Meat
• Wrap raw meat and poultry separately and securely
to prevent leaks and contamination of other foods or
surfaces.
• Use the deli drawer or Select Temp drawer and set to
meat/poultry setting for short-term storage. Any meat to
be kept longer than two days should be frozen.
Frozen food storage
• Keep the freezer compartment at 0°F or lower.
•
A freezer operates most efficiently when it is at least ⅔
full.
Packaging foods for freezing
• To minimize food dehydration and quality deteriora-
tion, use aluminum foil, freezer wrap, freezer bags, or
airtight containers. Force as much air out of the pack-
ages as possible and seal them tightly. Trapped air can
cause food to dry out, change color, and develop an
off-flavor (freezer burn).
• Wrap fresh meats and poultry with suitable freezer
wrap prior to freezing.
• Do not refreeze meat that has completely thawed.
Loading the freezer
• Prior to grocery shopping, activate “fast freeze” so that
on your return you can ensure your newly purchased
food designated for the freezer will be preserved as
quickly as possible.
• Activating “fast freeze” also will help your freezer more
efficiently maintain the selected temperature after plac
-
ing new purchases with pre-existing frozen foods.
• Avoid adding too much warm food to the freezer at one
time. This overloads the freezer, slows the rate of freez-
ing, and can raise the temperature of frozen foods.
• Leave a space between packages, so cold air can
circulate freely, allowing food to freeze as quickly as
possible.
Ideas for saving energy
Installation
• Locate the refrigerator in the coolest part of the room,
out of direct sunlight, and away from heating ducts or
registers.
• Do not place the refrigerator next to heat producing
appliances such as a range, oven, or dishwasher. If this
is not possible, a section of cabinetry or an added layer
of insulation between the two appliances will help the
refrigerator operate more efficiently.
• Level the refrigerator so that the doors close tightly.
Temperature settings
• Refer to the “Controls” section for procedures on tem-
perature settings.
Food storage
• Avoid overcrowding the refrigerator or blocking cold air
vents. Doing so causes the refrigerator to run longer
and use more energy.
• Cover foods and wipe containers dry before placing
them in the refrigerator. This cuts down on moisture
build-up inside the unit.
• Organize the refrigerator to reduce door openings. Re-
move as many items as needed at one time and close
the door as soon as possible.
• Do not place a hot container directly on a cold shelf.
Remember, such an extreme temperature change may
damage the glass
