Freezing foods / storing frozen foods
Page GB-14
Freezer baskets
The freezer baskets (2) make sorting easi-
er. They are hung on the chest frame by the
handle. To remove frozen food that is stored
underneath the freezer baskets, slide them
aside. Use the freezer baskets for small por-
tions of frozen food such as frozen herbs or
ice cream.
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 deep-freezing.
This will protect against oxidation, penetra-
tion by microbes, transfer of odours and fla-
vourings 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.
• Label the frozen food by type, quantity,
amount and expiry date. Use waterproof
marker pens or adhesive labels wherever
possible.
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, lem-
onade, beer, etc. Water expands when
frozen and may burst the container. Only
high percentage alcohol (from 40% vol-
ume) should be frozen; make sure that it
is tightly sealed.
How to pack the freezer properly
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-23.
Summary of Contents for HGT 8566A2L
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