How to Store Food in Chest Freezer:
Chest freezers are one of the most popular freezers for commercial use. They are designed to hold large amounts of food than any other freezer. Commercial Chest Freezers are pretty big in size so they require a large space. They are accessorized with baskets which can be really helpful in storing small food items. They have an excellent temperature range which is perfect increasing the shelf life of the food items.
General Features of Chest Freezer:
1. An Adjustable Temperature Dial:
The freezer can maintain the selected temperature level and the dial has three settings, including the OFF. Number 1 is the warmest, 3 is the coldest and if dial is turned OFF stops the cooling process. If the dial is set at 2, then it will require 24 hours to adjust before it can be used. The Interlevin Chest Freezer is also equipped with a fast freeze switch which has the ability to freeze food at a really fast pace. Turning off the fast freeze switch will bring the temperature back to the normal.
2. Storage Baskets:
The chest freezers also come with food storage baskets and it’s important to know how to store food in chest freezer. There are usually two to three baskets which are very helpful in storing small food items. It makes the items more accessible and they can be removed easily if not needed.
3. Defrosting:
When the frost is ¼ thick you should defrost it and it should not be removed by using any sharp object. If the unit does not has automatic defrosting, you can simply switch off the freezer and unplug it and it will defrost. Defrosting might take a few hours and for quick defrosting leave the doors of the freezer open.
4. Draining Trays:
For draining the water from defrosting, the freezers are equipped with draining trays. It should be placed beneath the outer drain plug and it will allow the water to be drained properly without any mess. The drain plug should be removed from inside of the freezer and plugged inside the freezer compartment.
After defrosting and proper draining the freezer should be dried with the help of a soft cloth before it is connected to electricity again. The temperature should be reset to desired level.
5. Lock and Key:
In order to secure the freezer it is equipped with the feature of lock and key. It keeps the lid of the freezer tightly shut maintaining the internal temperature.
6. How to Store Frozen Food:
The containers should be wiped clean before items are stored.
Never store warm food item ad let them come to room temperature before they are stored. It can save you a lot of energy use.
The original packaging should be kept while storing meats. If the original packaging is removed then make sure that it is rewrapped properly.
If all of the food items are in packaging then it will really help in systematic storage and optimization of space. The packaging also prevents any inflow of moisture thus increasing the shelf life of food.
7. Recommendations for Packaging:
Food can be stored in the following packages:
- Plastic containers.
- Aluminum foil: heavy duty.
- Plastic wraps
- Self-sealing plastic bags.
8. Things to Remember:
Do not store defrosted food and mark the freezing date of food should be marked on the package so no food gets wasted. Read more about Features of Chest Freezers.
