Freezing Food; Storage Of Commercially Frozen Food - Zanussi ZI 422 Instruction Booklet

Freezing food

Set the freezer to quick-freezing operational status.
Wait at least 3 hours before introducing fresh foods
into the freezer if it has only recently been turned
on.
If the freezer has already been working for some
time, turn the respective knob to the «S» position at
least 24 hours before introducing the food into the
freezer in order to ensure better freezing results.
This period of time may be shortened according to
the quantity of food.
When quick-freezing is being performed, the
compressor works continuously, employing all of its
refrigerating power to the maximum.
Keep the knob as it is for another 24 hours after the
introduction of the food into the freezer and then
return the knob to the «N» position.
Bear in mind the freezing capacity of your freezer;
that is, the maximum quantity of food that may be
frozen in 24 hours.
The freezing capacity of the freezer compartment is
indicated on the rating plate.
Arrange the foods to be frozen in the upper
compartment, so that these do not come into contact
with already-frozen products because the higher
surface temperature of the food to be frozen might
cause an increase in the surface temperature of the
already frozen products.
When the necessary freezing time has elapsed,
distribute the newly-frozen foods into the drawers
to free the compartments for new foods to be
frozen.
To help you to get the best out of the freezing
process, here are a few hints:
Freeze only good-quality, fresh and well-cleaned
food. Split it into small portions to speed up freezing
and avoid having to thaw more food than you
require.
It is in fact important to remember that once the
food has thawed out, it deteriorates fast.
Another point to remember is that lean food keeps
better and longer than fatty food. Salt too reduces
storage time.
Wrap the 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 remain
intact.
During the freezing process, do not add further food
for freezing and do not open the freezer door.
The food to be frozen should not be placed in contact
with already frozen food. This will avoid a rise in
temperature of the already frozen food.
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Never put fizzy drinks in the freezer as the
container might burst.
In addition, never put hot food or liquids in the
freezer compartment and take care not to fill
containers up to the brim if they are covered with a
lid.
A word of warning about ice lollies: they should not
be eaten straight from the freezer as this might
cause cold burns.
The maximum quantity of food which can be frozen in 24
hours is shown on the rating plate.
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 freezing started so that you can
keep a check on storage periods.
A special card is located in the holder on the inner
door of the freezer compartment. On the upper part
it shows pictures of different types of food followed
by a 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 the lower part of the card.

Storage of commercially frozen food

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 quick-
freeze (SUPER) setting. After this, reset the
freezer for normal storage use.
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;
that there is only a very short time between buying
the products and putting them into the freezer;
you do not store products for longer than the time
specified by the food manufacturer.
Important
If there happens to be a power failure do not open
the freezer door. If the power failure is relatively
brief (from 6 to 8 hours) and the freezer is
completely full, frozen products will not be affected.
Otherwise they should be used up very quickly.