Freezing Of Fresh Foods; Storage Of Commercially Frozen Food; Thawing; Ice Cube Trays - Zanussi ZFC 22/1 LR Instruction Booklet

Freezing of fresh foods

To fast-freeze foods when the appliance has not
been in use, switch on the freezer and let it run on
the fast-freeze setting for at least three hours
before putting the food to be frozen in the
compartment.
If the appliance is already in operation, it should run
on the fast-freeze setting for at least 24 hours before
the food is put in the freezer. Once the food has been
placed in the freezer, the freezing operation can be
considered to be complete 24 hours later.
Once freezing is complete, the freezer must be reset
for normal storage use.
Food to be frozen must be placed in the top
compartment.
The maximum amount of food which is freezable in 24
hours is 16 kg.
To help you get the best out of the freezing process,
here are a few hints:
Freeze only good-quality, fresh and well-cleaned foods.
Split them into small portions to speed up freezing and
to avoid having to thaw more food than you require.
It is in fact important to remember that once food has
thawed out, it deteriorates fast.
Another point to remember is that lean foods keep
better and longer than fatty foods. Salt too reduces
storage time.
Wrap food in foil or polythene film, ensuring that the
wrapping adheres closely to the food and is well sealed.
In this way, by avoiding contact with air, the colour
flavour and nutritional value of the food remains intact.
Never freeze a higher quantity of food than the
maximum amount shown on the rating plate of the
appliance.
During the freezing process, do not add further food for
freezing and do not open the freezer door.
Food for freezing should not be placed in contact with
already frozen food. This will avoid the temperature of
already frozen food from rising.
Never put fizzy drinks in the freezer as they might well
burst.
In addition, never put hot foods or liquids in the freezer
compartment and take care not to fill recipients up to
the brim if they are covered with a lid.
It is a good idea to mark the packs – or the cards on
the sliding drawers if your model has them – with
the date on which foods were frozen so that you can
keep a check on storage periods.
If accidental thawing occurs – due to a power cut for
example – food must be used up very quickly or else
cooked immediately and refrozen. If, however, the
power failure is relatively brief (from6 to 8 hours)
and the freezer compartment is packed full, frozen
food will not suffer any damage.
The inner door of the freezer compartment shows
pictures of different types of food followed by a
16
figure. These figures indicate the maximum storage
time, in months, for each type of food.
Details of food being stored, can also be written in
pencil on a card located in a special holder in the
inner door.

Storage of commercially frozen food

To get the best out of your freezer, in the case of
storage of commercially frozen food you should
ensure that:
the products have been correctly stored by the
retailer;
there is only a very short time between when you
purchase the products and when you put them in
the freezer;
you do not store products for longer than the time
specified by the food manufacturer.
In addition, if the freezer has been out of use for
some time, before putting the products in the
compartment let the freezer run for at least two
hours on the fast-freeze (SUPER) setting. After
this, reset the freezer for normal storage use.
Avoid opening the door too frequently and when
you do open it, leave it open only for as long as is
strictly necessary.
A word of warning about ice lollies: they should not
be eaten straight out of the freezer as this might
cause cold burns.
If there happens to be a power failure do not open
the freezer door. If the freezer is completely full,
frozen products will not be affected. Otherwise they
should be used up very quickly.

Thawing

Before being used, deep-frozen and frozen food can
be thawed out either in the refrigerator or at room
temperature, depending on the time available for
this operation.
Small pieces of food, such as hamburgers, chips, and
fish fingers, for example, can be cooked straight out
of the freezer, without any intermediate thawing
operation.
Clearly, cooking time will be marginally longer than
in the case of thawed food.

Ice cube trays

The freezer is provided with one or more ice cube
trays.
These trays should be filled with drinking water and
then placed in the freezer compartment.
Do not use metal tools to remove the trays when
they are stuck-frozen inside the compartment.