16
www.howdens.com
Freezer Compartment
• The freezer is used for storing frozen food, freezing fresh food, and making ice cubes.
• Use the fast freezing
drawer
to freeze home cooking (and any other food which needs to be frozen quickly) more
quickly because of the greater freezing power. Fast freezing
drawer
is the bottom drawer of the freezer
compartment.
• For freezing fresh food; wrap and seal fresh food properly, that is the packaging should be air tight and shouldn’t
leak. Special freezer bags, aluminum foil
,
polythene bags and plastic containers are ideal.
• Do not store fresh food next to frozen food as it can thaw the frozen food.
• Before freezing fresh food, divide it into portions that can be consumed in one sitting.
• Consume thawed frozen food within a short period of time after defrosting & cooking.
• Never place warm food in the freezer compartment as it will thaw the frozen food.
• Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions on food packaging when storing frozen food. If no information is
provided food, should not be stored for more than 3 months from the date of purchase.
• When purchasing frozen food, make sure that it has been stored under appropriate conditions and that the
packaging is not damaged.
• Frozen food should be transported in appropriate containers and placed in the freezer as soon as possible.
• Do not purchase frozen food if the packaging shows signs of humidity and abnormal swelling. It is probable that it
has been stored at an unsuitable temperature and that the contents have deteriorated.
• The storage life of frozen food depends on the room temperature, the thermostat setting, how often the door is
opened, the type of food, and the length of time required to transport the product from the shop to your home.
Always follow the instructions printed on the packaging and never exceed the maximum storage life indicated.
• The maximum amount of fresh food (in kg) that can be frozen in 24 hours is indicated on the appliance label.
• For optimum appliance performance to reach maximum freezing capacity, set the refrigerator at 4
°
C for 24 hours
before placing fresh food into the freezer.
• After placing fresh food into the freezer, change the setting to 2
°
C for 24 hours is generally s
ufficien
t. After 24
hours, you can reduce the setting if required.
•
For normal working conditions adjust the temperature setting to + 4°C.
•
the temperature of the fridge section should be in the range of 0°C - 8°C. Fresh food stored at 0°C will
freeze
and spoil. Bacterial growth increases above + 8°C and food will decay quickly.
•
Do not place hot food in the refrigerator as the internal temperature will rise affecting storage conditions
potentially causing bacterial growth and food poisoning. Let foods cool before placing in the appliance.
•
Meat and cleaned fish (individually wrapped and sealed) should be stored in the chiller compartment and
vegetables in the vegetable compartment. Avoid cross contamination by not mixing meat and fruit / veg.
products.
•
Always use closed containers or cover foods to avoid food drying out and spoiling, odours, spillages and
cross
contamination of foodstuffs.
