19
Freezing fresh food
The compartment marked by the 4-star symbol
is suitable for freezing fresh food. This proc-
ess permits long-term storage of food that cannot be
consumed rapidly.
To freeze fresh food, it is not necessary to change the
thermostat knob setting from normal. If you require
fast freezing, instead, you should turn the thermostat
knob to the coldest setting. In this case, though, be
sure that the temperature in the refrigerator compart-
ment does not drop below zero.
Place the food to be frozen in the bottom basket of
the freezing compartment.
To obtain the best result from the freezing process,
here are some useful hints:
Freeze only high-quality, fresh and thoroughly cleaned
food; prepare the food to be frozen in small portions.
This not only ensures rapid freezing, but it also ena-
bles you to use a part of the product instead of having
to wastefully thaw the entire piece.
Remember that lean foods last longer and better than
fat foods, and that salt will reduce their storage life.
Wrap all foods in aluminium foil or polythene bags,
and make sure the wrapping is hermetically sealed
and air is excluded: this will help preserve colour, taste
and nutritional value of the food.
Do not freeze fresh foods, all at the same time, in a
quantity exceeding that shown on the appliance’s rat-
ing plate.
Mark the packs with contents and dates so that you
can keep a check on storage periods.
During the freezing process, do not add new food to
be frozen and do not open the door frequently. The
freezing process may be regarded as completed after
24 hours from its beginning.
On the door liner of the 4-star
compartment
you will find a pictorial guide with numbers shown
next to each type of meat or food, and these numbers
indicate the approximate storage times in months
from the freeze-in date.
Do not put carbonated liquids (fizzy drinks, etc.) or
warm food in the freezer compartment and do not fill
covered containers to the brim.
If during the storage of frozen food there is a power
cut, it is advisable to use up the food within a short
time or to cook it immediately and then freeze it again.
Frozen food storage
The compartment marked by the
symbol is
also suitable for storing ice cream and frozen food.
To obtain the best results, make sure – first of all – that
the frozen food to be stored has been kept at the
proper temperature in the shop.
Also, wrap frozen food in newspaper when you buy it
and get it home and store as soon as possible.
When the appliance is used for the first time or after
an idle period, it is necessary to let it run for at least
two hours with the thermostat knob on the coldest
setting before placing any frozen food in this compart-
ment, then turn the thermostat knob back to the nor-
mally required setting.
Important
Do not exceed the recommended storage times given
on the packets by the producer of commercially-fro-
zen food;
avoid opening the door too often and do not leave it
open longer than absolutely necessary.
If there is a power failure, do not open the door during
the whole time of the failure. If the compartment is ful-
ly loaded, frozen food is not affected if the power fail-
ure is short. Otherwise it is recommended to use the
food within 24 hours.
Thawing
Deep-frozen and frozen food, prior to being used, can
be thawed in the refrigerator compartment or at room
temperature depending on the time available for this
operation. Small pieces of food – such as hamburg-
ers, cutlets, chips, and fish fingers, for example – can
be cooked still frozen, directly from the freezer; in this
case, though, cooking will take longer.
Ice cube trays
This refrigerator features ice cube trays.
These trays should be filled with drinking water and
then placed in the freezer compartment.
Ice lollies can cause frost burns if consumed straight
from the freezer.
