Maytag MZD2669KE Series, Refrigerator Use & Care Manual

Page: 17 / 96

16
Food Storage Tips
F r esh Food Sto r a g e
• The fresh foo d compartment of a refrigerator shoul d
be kept between 34°- 40° F (1°- 4° C) with an
optimum temperature of 37° F (3° C). To check the
temperature, place an appliance thermometer in a
glass of water an
d place in the center of the
refrigerator. Check after 24 hours. If the temperature
is above 40° F (4° C) a
d just the controls as explaine d
on page 7.
• Avoi d overcrow d ing the refrigerator shelves. This
re d uces the circulation of air aroun d the foo d an d
results in uneven cooling.
F r uits and Ve g etables
• Storage in the crisper d rawers traps humi d ity to help
preserve the fruit an d vegetable quality for longer
time perio d s.
• Sort fruits an d vegetables before storage an d use
bruise d or soft items first. Discar d those showing
signs of d ecay.
• Always wrap o d orous foo d s such as onions an d
cabbage so the o d or d oes not transfer to other foo d s.
• While vegetables nee d a certain amount of humi d ity
to remain fresh, too much humi d ity can shorten
storage times (especially leafy vegetables). Drain
vegetables well before storing.
• Wait to wash fresh pro d uce until right before use.
Meat and Cheese
• Raw meat an d poultry shoul d be wrappe d securely
so leakage an d contamination of other foo d s or
surfaces d oes not occur.
• Occasionally mol d will d evelop on the surface of
har d cheeses (Swiss, Che dd ar, Parmesan). Cut off at
least an inch aroun d an d below the mol d y area. Keep
your knife or instrument out of the mol d itself. Do not
try to save in d ivi d ual cheese slices, soft cheese,
cottage cheese, cream, sour cream or yogurt when
mol
d appears.
Dai r y Food
• Most d airy foo d s such as milk, yogurt, sour cream
an d cottage cheese have freshness d ates on their
cartons for appropriate length of storage. Store these
foo
d s in the original carton an d refrigerate
imme d iately after purchasing an d after each use.
F r ozen Food Sto r a g e
• The freezer compartment of a refrigerator shoul d be
kept at approximately 0° F (-18° C). To check the
temperature, place an appliance thermometer
between the frozen packages an
d check after 24
hours. If the temperature is above 0° F (-18° C),
a
d just the control as d escribe d on page 7.
• A freezer operates more efficiently when it is at least
two-thir d s full.
Packa g in g Foods fo r F r eezin g
• To minimize d ehy d ration an d quality d eterioration use
aluminum foil, freezer wrap, freezer bags or airtight
containers. Force as much air out of the packages as
possible an
d be sure they are tightly seale d . Trappe d
air can cause the foo d to d ry out, change color an d
d evelop an off-flavor (freezer burn).
• Overwrap fresh meats an d poultry with suitable
freezer wrap prior to freezing.
• Do not refreeze meat that has completely thawe d .
Loadin g the F r eeze r
• Avoi d a dd ing too much warm foo d to the freezer at
one time. This overloa d s the freezer, slows the rate of
freezing an d can raise the temperature of frozen
foo d s.
• Leave space between the packages so col d air can
circulate freely, allowing foo d to freeze as quickly as
possible.
• Avoi d storing har d -to-freeze foo d s such as ice cream
an d orange juice on the freezer d oor shelves. These
foo d s are best store d in the freezer interior where the
temperature varies less with d oor openings.
Refer to the Foo d Storage Chart for approximate
storage times, pages 17-18.