Freezing foods, storing frozen foods
Page EN-23
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 du-
rable.
• Allow prepared food to cool before freezing.
This not only saves power, but also prevents
excessive frost formation in the freezer.
• Carbonated drinks are not suitable for freez-
ing because the carbon dioxide escapes
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 which can be labelled.
It should be designated 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 than ¾ full,
because 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,
freeze date and expiry date. Use water-
proof marker pens or adhesive labels
wherever possible.
Freezing capacity
You can find information concerning the
freezing capacity of your appliance on the
type plate of your appliance.
• Adhere to the maximum freezing capacity
wherever possible.
Up to the maximum indicated freezing
capacity:
If you adhere to the maximum freezing ca-
pacity, the goods will freeze the quickest.
The temperature in the freezer briefly rises
after placing fresh goods inside. After another
12 hours, the goods are frozen to the core.
Above the maximum indicated freezing
capacity:
If you want to freeze more food in one go as
an exception, freezing will take longer. Keep
fresh goods out of contact with existing fro-
zen foods, as the frozen foods could start to
defrost. If contact with stored food can not
be avoided, we recommend that you create
a cold reserve in the freezer before freezing
the fresh goods.
Storing frozen food
The deep-freeze chain must not be broken
between the manufacturer and your freezer.
The temperature of the frozen food must al-
ways be at least –18 °C.
