15
Defrosting
The defrosting function allows you to defrost
frozen foods. The oven fan operates without
heat and circulates the air, at room tempe-
rature, inside the oven. This increases the
rate at which defrosting takes place. This
function is particularly suitable for delicate
food which could be damaged by heat, e.g.
cream filled gateaux, iced cakes, pastries,
bread and other yeast products.
Turn the function control knob to .
When using this function, always ensure
the thermostat control knob is in the OFF
position.
Hints and tips
Cover food with a lid, aluminium foil or
plastic film to prevent drying out during
defrosting.
Small or thin pieces of fish fillet or peeled
prawns, mince, liver and thin chops will
defrost in 1-2 hours. Ensure that they are
cooked or refrigerated immediately after
defrosting to maintain good food hygiene.
Place the food to be defrosted in a single
layer and turn over half way through the
defrosting process, where possible.
Joints of meat or poultry MUST BE
THAWED THOROUGHLY BEFORE
COOKING. A 1.5 kg/3lb oven-ready
chicken will thaw in approximately 5
hours. The giblets must be removed as
soon as possible during the thawing
process.
Only joints of meat and poultry up to 2kg/
4lb in weight are suitable for defrosting in
this
way.
ALWAYS
COOK
THOROUGHLY IMMEDIATELY AFTER
THAWING.
Take care to follow the basic rules for
hygiene when handling fresh, frozen, raw
and cooked foods.
Place the frozen food a single layer where
possible, and turn it over half way through
the defrosting process.
The actual speed of defrosting is
influenced by room temperature. On
warm days defrosting will be faster than
on cooler days.
DO NOT leave food at room temperature
once it is defrosted. Cook raw food
immediately or store cooked food in the
fridge.
Care must always be taken when
handling foods in the home. Always
follow the basic rules of food hygiene to
prevent bacterial growth and cross
contamination when defrosting,
preparing, cooking, cooling and freezing
foods.