You may already know that food kept in the freezer can last way longer than most people realise ― even if it does eventually lose its flavour.
But for many, the risks of misshapen veggies and tough meat simply isn’t worth trying that three-year-old pack of petit pois or fish fingers.
If you’ve noticed your top-drawer chicken breasts becoming hard and icy a mere couple of weeks or months after lobbing them in the freezer, appliance brand Beko says you might be making a common mistake.
Though it’s important to keep the appliance below -18°C to ensure your food is safe and doesn’t thaw, they add that “it is important to not drop the temperature too low” to prevent freezer burn.
What is freezer burn, and what temperature should I set my freezer to?
Beko explains that “freezer burn” refers to food “that has lost moisture due to cold air exposure.”
It dries food, especially raw meat, out and makes it tough and tasteless.
It’s not bad for your health, the appliance suppliers say, but it does ruin your dinner (which, on the wrong weeknight, would devastate my mental health).
So while it’s recommended we keep our freezer at -18°C to banish bacteria, Beko says “Although 4-star freezers can operate down to -25°C, over time foods frozen at this temperature may start to dry out, causing freezer burn or a loss in quality.”
Whirlpool agrees, saying sticking to -18°C is a good idea to maintain both food quality and freshness.
How can I tell if my freezer is at the right temperature?
But if yours doesn’t, Whirlpool says that there are three ways to tell if your appliance is at the right temperature.
These are:
Your surfaces are mostly frost-free
”If there’s lots of snowy frost, the temperature might be set too low for your freezer to remove moisture,” Whirlpool says. “An icy covering near the door gaskets (rubber seals around the door’s edge) means they may be letting in air,” while if it’s all over you may have left the door open.Your ice cream is solid
”While ice cream’s ideal scooping temperature is 6° to 10°F (-14° to -12°C), that’s too high for long-term storage,” the band revealed. “It’s best to store it at 0°F (-18°C), then let it warm up a little before serving.”Your food is free of freezer burn
Whirlpool says “Freezing hot food or a large amount at a time can cause swings in temperature, so let food cool first, then add one item at a time to the freezer.”