Freezing foods / storing frozen foods
Page GB-14
Freezing food
Freezing means reducing the core tempera-
ture of fresh, room-temperature food to fro-
zen as quickly as possible – for best results
“flash-frozen”. If not cooled quickly enough,
the food will be “killed by frost”, i.e. the struc-
ture will be destroyed. A constant storage
temperature of -18° C is needed to maintain
the food’s consistency, taste and nutritional
value.
Preparing the food
• Only freeze high quality food.
• Freeze fresh and prepared food dry and
unseasoned. Unsalted foods are more
durable.
• Allow prepared food to cool before freez-
ing. This not only saves power, but also
prevents excessive frost formation in the
freezer area.
• Carbonated drinks are not suitable for
freezing because the carbon dioxide es-
capes during freezing.
Suitable packaging
Packaging is important when freezing. This
will protect against oxidation, penetration by
microbes, transfer of odours and flavourings
and drying out (freezer burn).
• Only use packaging material that is
strong, impermeable to air and liquid, not
too stiff and labelled. It should be desig-
nated as suitable for freezer use.
• Use plastic clips, rubber bands or adhe-
sive tapes to seal.
Portions
• Use flat portions as much as possible;
these freeze through to the core faster.
• Expel the air from the freezer bag as this
causes the contents to dry out and takes
up space.
• Fill liquid containers no more ¾ full, be-
cause liquids expand when frozen.
• Do not store glass or metal containers
containing liquids such as water, lemon-
ade, beer, etc. Water expands when fro-
zen and may burst the container.
Only high percentage alcohol (from 40%
volume) should be frozen; make sure that
it is tightly sealed.
• Label the frozen food by type, quantity,
amount and expiry date. Use waterproof
marker pens or adhesive labels wherever
possible.
How to pack the freezer properly
Freeze smaller quantities
• up to 2 kg: Once the freezer temper-
ature is −18 °C, you can freeze fresh,
room-temperature foods.
Maximum freezing capacity
Adhere to the maximum freezing capacity.
You will find information about “Freezing ca-
pacity in kg/24 hours” in the data sheet on
page GB-27.
Keep fresh goods out of contact with existing
frozen foods as they could start to thaw. If
contact with stored food cannot be avoided,
we recommend that you create a cold reserve
in the freezer before freezing the fresh goods.
The temperature in the freezer briefly rises af-
ter placing fresh goods inside. After 24 hours,
the goods are frozen to the core.
Summary of Contents for HGS 8555A3W
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