Freezing foods, storing frozen foods
Page EN-15
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.
Freezing food has a positive effect on its shelf
life. This will help to avoid food waste.
Set the temperature in the freezer compart-
ment to –18 °C. In this way, you can ensure
that the temperature conditions inside are
optimally utilised, guaranteeing optimal food
storage.
Maximum freezing capacity
Details of the freezing capacity of your appli-
ance can be found on the type plate of your
appliance.
• Adhere to the maximum freezing capacity
if possible.
Up to the maximum specified
freezing capacity
If you adhere to the maximum freezing ca-
pacity, the food will freeze at the fastest rate.
The temperature in the freezer briefly rises af-
ter placing fresh goods inside. After 12 hours,
the goods are frozen to the core.
Above the maximum specified
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. 2 hours beforehand, set the
temperature controller to maximum.
Tips for freezing
To maintain the taste and nutritional value
of your frozen foods and to make sure your
appliance does not use too much electricity
and the freezer does not need to be defrosted
unnecessarily often, please note:
– Frozen food requires a constant storage
temperature of –18 °C.
– A temperature setting that is too high or too
low can reduce the shelf life of your food.
This leads to greater food waste.
– Only freeze good quality food that has been
prepared, split into portions and packaged
as appropriate for its properties.
– Freeze meat, poultry and fish raw or pre-
pared into portions suitable for at home and
defrost them later in the fridge. Make sure
that meat, for example, is not immersed in
its own thawing liquid.
– Freeze fresh and prepared food dry and
unseasoned. Unsalted foods are more du-
rable.
– Allow prepared food to cool before freez-
ing. This not only saves power, but also
prevents excessive frost formation in the
freezer.
– To make sure frozen food does not dry out,
take on a strange taste or leak, use robust
packaging material that is impermeable to
air and liquids, is not too stiff and can be
closed easily and labelled.
– Observe the manufacturer’s instructions
when storing processed frozen foods.
– You should also freeze meals in portion siz-
es if possible. Small portions are quicker
to freeze to the core. As well as this, it is
more cost-efficient to freeze several small
portions than to throw away the remainder
of a large portion.
– Adhere to the recommended storage times
and temperatures.
– When storing fresh food, make sure that it
does not come into contact with food that
is already frozen, as this food may defrost.
– Make sure that food does not come into
contact with the rear wall of the freezer, as
it could end up freezing to the wall.
Summary of Contents for HGT128A
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