8
Some useful hints for freezing
■
The fresh foods to be frozen must be fresh and of
the best quality.
■
The size of each pack should be small enough to
ensure that it is used in one go. Small packs
freeze more quickly and uniformly and give better
results.
■
Frozen food, once thawed, must not be refrozen.
Lean food keeps better and longer than fatty food,
salt reduces the storage time.
■
Wrap the food in polythene or aluminium freezing
bags or foil so that they adhere to the food and
provide an airtight seal. Stick a label on each
pack showing the contents and date of freezing.
This makes it easy to check storage times. The
same information can be copied onto the record
card in the door.
■
Never place hot food, bottles or cans of fizzy drink
in the freezer as they may explode. Containers
with a lid must not be filled to the brim.
■
Do not open the door unecessarly often or place
extra fresh food in the freezer next to food which
is already frozen as this could cause the tempera-
ture of the frozen food to rise and its quality and
storage life to reduce.
■
In the first compartment, produce must only be
stacked up to the mark on the drawer so as to
ensure that air circulation is not obstructed.
Thawing
Food can be thawed in a number of ways, depending
on the type of food and the size of the packs. Meat,
fish and fruit should be thawed in the refrigeration
compartment and small pieces of meat or poultry can
even be cooked while still frozen, but you must
ensure that it is thoroughly cooked through.
Vegetables should be directly immersed in boiling
water; ready-cooked dishes can be placed directly in
the oven in their aluminium wrapping.
A microwave oven is particularly suitable for thawing
any type of frozen or deep-frozen food: follow the
oven instructions, particularly regarding the place-
ment of aluminium wrapping in the oven.
Important
In the event of a power failure causing the
temperature within your freezer to rise, do
not re-freeze the food without checking its
condition. The following guidelines should
assist you:
Ice-cream: once thawed should be discarded.
Fruits & Vegetables: if soft should be cooked
and used up.
Breads & Cakes: can be re-frozen without
danger.
Shellfish: should be refrigerated and used up
quickly.
Cooked Dishes: i.e. casseroles should be
refrigerated and used up.
Large Pieces of Meat: can be re-frozen pro-
viding there are still ice crystals remaining
within them.
Small Joints: should be cooked and can then
be re-frozen as cooked dishes.
Chicken: should also be cooked and re-frozen
as a cooked dish.
Making ice cubes
The appliance is provided with a plastic ice cube tray.
Fill the tray 3/4 full to allow the ice to expand and
place in one of the freezer drawers.
To turn out the ice cubes simply give the tray a slight
twist to release the cubes.
Never tray to free an ice tray that is frozen to the
freezer compartment using a sharp or pointed
object.
Important
Do not consume ice-lollies which have just
come out of the freezer compartment. Their
extremely low temperature can cause frost
burns. Do not remove items from the freezer
compartment if your hands are damp/wet, as
this could cause skin abrasions or "frost/freez-
er burns".
Normal Operating Sounds
You may hear faint gurgling or bubbling sounds when
the refrigerant is pumped through the coils or tubing
at the rear, to the cooling evaporator.
When the compressor is on, the refrigerant is being
pumped round, and you will hear a whirring sound or
pulsating noise from the compressor.
A thermostat controls the compressor, and you will
hear a faint ‘click’ when the thermostat cuts in and
out.
