Fruits And Vegetables; Fresh Food Storage; Frozen Food Storage - Maytag Bottom freezer refrigerator User Manual

F
OOD STORAGE TIPS

Fresh food storage

The fresh food compartment of a
refrigerator should be kept between
34° F and 40° F with an optimum tem-
perature of 37° F. To check the tem-
perature, place an appliance ther-
mometer in a glass of water and place
in the center of the refrigerator. Check
after 24 hours. If the temperature is
above 40° F adjust the controls as
explained on page 8.
Avoid overcrowding the refrigerator
shelves. This reduces the circulation
of air around the food and results in
uneven cooling.
FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES
Storage in the crisper drawers traps
moisture to help preserve the fruit and
vegetable quality for longer time peri-
ods. (Refer to page 9).
Sort fruits and vegetables before stor-
age 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 moisture to remain fresh,
too much moisture can shorten stor-
age times (especially leafy vegeta-
bles). Drain vegetables well before
storing.
MEAT AND CHEESE
Raw meat and poultry should be
wrapped securely so leakage and
contamination of other foods or sur-
faces 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 moldy
area. Keep your knife or instrument
out of the mold itself. The remaining
cheese will be safe and flavorful to
eat. 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 purchas-
ing and after each use.

Frozen food storage

The freezer compartment of a refriger-
ator should be kept at approximately
0° F. To check the temperature, place
an appliance thermometer between
the frozen packages and check after
24 hours. If the temperature is above
0˚ F, adjust the control as described on
page 8.
A freezer operates more efficiently
when it is at least two-thirds full.
PACKAGING FOODS FOR
FREEZING
To minimize dehydration and quality
deterioration use aluminum foil, freez-
er wrap, freezer bags or airtight con-
tainers. 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
color and develop an off-flavor (freez-
er burn).
Overwrap fresh meats and poultry
with suitable freezer wrap prior to
freezing.
Do not refreeze meat that has com-
pletely 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 13 for approximate storage
times.
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