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Thawing
Frozen food, prior to being used, can be thawed in
the fridge or at room temperature depending on the
time available. Small food items may even be cooked
from frozen; in this case cooking will take longer. Any
frozen food which is allowed to thaw accidentally
should either be eaten as soon as possible or thrown
away. Alternatively, if the food is uncooked and has
not been completely defrosted it can be cooked and
then refrozen.
Defrosted cooked food must never be refrozen.
HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDELINES
Because of consumer demand, preservatives have been removed from many pre-prepared foods. This
together with the changes in shopping habits to a once-a-week shop, mean that safe handling and
storage of food is even more important than ever.
The following tips should help you to ensure that the food in your home is in as perfect condition as
possible.
Keep the freezer door closed as much as possible.
Do not push food together too much, try to allow
air to circulate around each item.
Cool cooked food as quickly as possible but do
NOT place in the freezer until cool. (Leave food in
a place as cool as possible in order that it can then
be placed in the refrigerator as soon as possible).
Do not store food uncovered.
The best way to defrost food is to put it in the
refrigerator to thaw slowly.
Ensure that food placed in the freezer is dated and
labelled and used in date order to ensure that food
is consumed at its best.
It is important that food is used before its "best
before" date.
Always wash your hands with soapy water and dry
them with a clean towel before handling food.
Keep work surfaces clean and avoid cross
contamination by not using the same work surface
or knife, without washing them thoroughly in
between.
The foods to be frozen must be fresh and of the
best quality.
Ice making
Fill each compartment of the ice tray 3/4full with water
and place it in the freezer. To release the ice cubes,
twist the tray along its length. Never use a sharp
instrument to remove ice from the tray.
Normal Operating Sounds
You may hear faint gurgling or bubbling sounds when
the refrigerant is pumped through the coils or tubing
at the rear, to the fixed freezer shelves.
When the compressor is on, the refrigerant is being
pumped round, and you will hear a whirring sound or
pulsating noise from the compressor.
A thermostat controls the compressor, and you will
hear a faint 'click' when the thermostat cuts in and
out.
The size of each pack should be small enough to
ensure that it is used in one go. Small packs
freeze more quickly and uniformly and give better
results.
Frozen food, once thawed, must not be refrozen.
Lean food keeps better and longer than fatty food,
salt reduces the storage time.
Wrap the food in polythene or aluminium freezing
bags or foil so that they adhere to the food and
provide an airtight seal.
Packaging which is swollen or has traces of
refrozen water droplets on the pack could indicate
that the product has not been kept at a suitable
temperature and that it may have lost its original
quality. Partially thawed food must not be refrozen,
it must be consumed within 24 hours. Never
exceed the storage time indicated.
Never place hot food, bottles or cans of fizzy drink
in the freezer as they may explode. Containers
with a lid must not be filled to the brim.
Do not open the door or place extra fresh food in
the freezer next to food which is already frozen as
this could cause the temperature of the frozen
food to rise and its quality and storage life to
reduce.
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