MAINTAINING YOUR FREEZER

Most people buy a freezer and stick it in the corner hoping for the best.

There are a few hints that will help you get the most out of your freezer.

To help maintian an even temperature in your freezer, never freezer more than 3 pounds of food per cubic foot of your freezer. If your freezer is 10 cubic feet, do not freeze more than 30 pounds of product.

If you add too much frozen food at once you can raise the temperature of the freezer too much and your already frozen foods may start to defrost.

Try not to overload or underload your freezer.

If you can keep it about 2/3 full at all times, this is the optimum space for allowing air circulation and minimal effort for the motor to work to keep the food frozen. If you don't have enough food to keep it full enough, fill it with containers of ice, or fill old milk jugs 3/4 full with water and place in the freezer until you have more food to put in.

Try to defrost your freezer every 2 months or if the ice reaches a depth of more than 1/2 inch.

Label and date all foods stored in the freezer with masking tape and a permanent marker.

Store foods that are similar to each other together. I found some small plastic coated wire baskets that I use to separate different kinds of food.