It's easy to loose track of what's lurking in your freezer. For alot of us, that often means lots of wasted food. Read our tips on how to avoid this waste and make use of the food we buy.
And yet, by planning ahead – and making better use of our freezers - it’s quite easy to save food, as well as energy, from being wasted. To help, our friends over at ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ have some great advice about using the freezer more effectively so we can enjoy more of the festive foods we have, while wasting less:
• A party food portion calculator – vital when you’re deciding how much food to make for a gourmet gathering!
• A range of recipes - including ‘glamour’ party snacks, freeze ahead ready meals, and frozen food essentials.
• Arctic Aunt ‘myth buster’
• Take the “Great freezer expedition” - discover ways to make you a freezer expert and tips on freezing
• A video of Sue Perkins doing her own Freezer Expedition
To support the ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ campaign, we’ve come up with some fridge and freezer tips (see below) that will help stop energy being wasted – something that’s pretty important given they are the hardest working appliances in the kitchen. They are on the go 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so if your fridge or freezer isn't energy efficient it's costing more to run and is responsible for a higher amount of CO2.
For fridge and freezers…
• Place your fridge and / or freezer in as cool a location as possible (not next to a heater or oven).
• Avoid leaving the door open – and keep the door seals in good condition.
• Never put warm or hot food straight into the fridge or freezer.
• Choose an Energy Saving Recommended fridge or freeze, it uses around 60% less energy than a typical old model, saving you around £36 a year on your energy bills.
• Buy fridge/freezer thermometers which will give a good indication of the temperature of the fridge or freezer and allow you to set the temperature accurately.
Freezer only…
• Try and arrange your food so that it is easy to find and retrieve so you don’t need to leave the drawers open too long rummaging.
• Defrost the freezer regularly.
• Keep the condenser coil clean and well ventilated and ensure that the freezer doesn't ice up.
Fridge only…
• Refrigerator compartments should have a maximum temperature of 5 degrees. The correct setting for a fridge or freezer thermostat will depend on the temperature of the room it's in. However do bear in mind if it is set too low it will increase the energy consumption.
It's packed with:
