25
Use & Care Guide
Food Storage Tips
Fresh Food Storage
• The fresh food compartment of a refrigerator
should be kept between 34° and 40° F (1° and
4° C) with an optimum temperature of 37° F (3°
C), To check the temperature, place an appliance
thermometer in a glass of water and place in the
centre of the refrigerator. Check after 24 hours. If
the temperature is above 40° F (4° C) adjust the
controls as explained on page 14.
• Avoid overcrowding the refrigerator shelves. This
reduces the circulation of air around the food and
results in uneven cooling .
Fruits and Vegetables
• The crisper drawers trap humidity to help preserve
the fruit and vegetable quality for longer time
periods (see page 16).
• Sort fruits and vegetables before storage and use
bruised or soft items first. Discard those showing
signs of decay.
• Always wrap odorous foods such as onions and
cabbage so the odor does not transfer to other
foods.
• While vegetables need a certain amount of
humidity to remain fresh, too much humidity
can shorten storage times (especially leafy
vegetables). Drain vegetables well before
storing.
• Wait to wash fresh produce until right before
use.
Meat and Cheese
• Raw meat and poultry should be wrapped
securely so leakage and contamination of other
foods or surfaces does not occur.
• Occasionally mold will develop on the surface of
hard cheeses (Swiss, Cheddar, Parmesan). Cut
off at least an inch around and below the mouldy
area. Keep your knife or instrument out of the
mold itself. Do not try to save individual cheese
slices, soft cheese, cottage cheese, cream, sour
cream or yogurt when mold appears.
Dairy Food
• Most dairy foods such as milk, yogurt, sour cream and
cottage cheese have freshness dates on their cartons
for appropriate length of storage. Store these foods in
the original carton and refrigerate immediately after
purchasing and after each use.
Frozen Food Storage
•
The freezer compartment of a refrigerator should be kept
at approximately 0° F (-18° C). To check the temperature,
place an appliance thermometer between the frozen
packages and check after 24 hours. If the temperature
is above 0° F (-18° C), adjust the control as described
on page 14.
• A freezer operates more efficiently when it is at least
two-thirds full .
Packaging Foods for Freezing
• To minimize dehydration and quality deterioration use
aluminium foil, freezer wrap, freezer bags or airtight
containers. Force as much air out of the packages as
possible and be sure they are tightly sealed. Trapped air
can cause the food to dry out, change colour and develop
an off-flavour (freezer burn).
• Overwrap fresh meats and poultry with suitable freezer
wrap prior to freezing.
• Do not refreeze meat that has completely thawed.
Loading the Freezer
• Avoid adding too much warm food to the freezer at one
time. This overloads the freezer, slows the rate of freezing
and can raise the temperature of frozen foods.
• Leave space between the packages so cold air can
circulate freely, allowing food to freeze as quickly as
possible.
• Avoid storing hard-to-freeze foods such as ice cream
and orange juice on the freezer door shelves. These
foods are best stored in the freezer interior where the
temperature varies less with door openings.
Refer to the
Food Storage Chart
on page 24 for ap-
proximate storage times.
