8 Storing food
8.2
Shelf life of food
▸ High-protein and high-fat foods are delicate/perishable and have a relatively short
storage life.
▸ Observe best-before and use-by dates.
▸ Produce can generally be stored for longer at low temperature settings. A temperature
of 5 °C in the refrigerator compartment and -18 °C in the freezer compartment
provide a balanced setting in terms of food quality and energy consumption – ideal if
storing a large variety of products.
8.3
Packaging and containers
▸ Wrap or cover food in the refrigerator compartment to prevent it from drying out and
flavours from transferring.
▸ Transfer the contents of opened tins to sealable containers.
▸ Store raw meat and fish in suitable containers in the refrigerator, so that they do not
come into contact with or drip onto other food.
▸ Store food in the freezer compartment in suitable packaging. Depending on the
product, this may be freezer bags, aluminium foil or plastic boxes. Pack the food as
airtight as possible to prevent freezer burn.
8.4
Freezing food
Packaging
▸ Store food in the freezer compartment in suitable packaging. Depending on the
product, this may be freezer bags, aluminium foil or plastic boxes. Pack the food as
airtight as possible to prevent freezer burn.
Freezing fresh food
▸ Activate the
fast cooling/freezing function before loading food or food items into
the appliance (e.g. before going shopping).
▸ The bottom drawer in the freezer compartment is recommended for freezing up to
about 1 kg of fresh food a day. If there is frozen food already in the bottom drawer,
distribute it between the upper freezer compartment drawers.
▸ There is a risk that freezing fresh food could cause food that is already frozen to par-
tially thaw. Freeze smaller quantities and avoid contact with food that has already
been frozen.
▸ Blanch vegetables before freezing. Aubergines, sweet peppers, courgettes, mush-
rooms, asparagus and herbs do not have to be blanched.
Unsuitable food and products
▸ The following products are not suitable for freezing: radishes, lettuces, cucumbers,
raw unshelled eggs, boiled eggs, dairy products such as yogurt, cream cheese and
curd cheese, and mayonnaise.
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