Aga Ranges AFHR-36 manual Food Storage Tips, Fresh Food Storage, Fruits and Vegetables, Dairy Food

Use & Care Guide

Food Storage Tips

Fresh Food Storage

•The fresh food compartment of a refrigerator should be kept between 34° and 40° F (1° and 4° C) with an opti- mum temperature of 37° F (3° C), To check the tempera- ture, place an appliance thermometer in a glass of water and place in the centre of the refrigerator. Check after 24 hours. If the temperature is above 40° F (4° C) 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

•The crisper drawers trap humidity to help preserve the fruit and vegetable quality for longer time periods (see page 11).

•Sort fruits and vegetables before storage and use bruised or soft items first. Discard those showing signs of decay.

•Always wrap odorous foods such as onions and cab- bage so the odor does not transfer to other foods.

•While vegetables need a certain amount of humidity to remain fresh, too much humidity can shorten storage times (especially leafy vegetables). Drain vegetables well before storing.

•Wait to wash fresh produce until right before use.

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 refrigerator should be kept at approximately 0° F (-18° C). To check the temper- ature, place an appliance thermometer between the frozen packages and check after 24 hours. If the tempera- ture is above 0° F (-18° C), 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 aluminium foil, freezer wrap, freezer bags or airtight con- tainers. Force as much air out of the packages as possi- ble and be sure they are tightly sealed. Trapped air can cause the food to dry out, change colour and develop an off-flavour (freezer burn).

•Overwrap fresh meats and poultry with suitable freez- er wrap prior to freezing.

•Do not refreeze meat that has completely thawed.

Loading the Freezer

Meat and Cheese

•Raw meat and poultry should be wrapped securely so leakage and contamination of other foods or surfaces 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 mouldy area. Keep your knife or instrument out of the mold itself. Do not try to save indi- vidual cheese slices, soft cheese, cottage cheese, cream, sour cream or yogurt when mold appears.

•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 pos- sible.

•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 pages 18 and 19 for approximate storage times.

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