Freezing foods, storing frozen foods
Page EN-23
Preparing 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.
• 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%
by 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
Once the freezer temperature is -18 °C, you
can freeze fresh, room-temperature foods.
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 cannot
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.
Therefore, do not buy any goods that
– are in frosty, over-icy chests.
– are stacked above the stipulated high-
load marker.
