Practical everyday tips for refrigerators and freezers

• Do not place fridges or freezers next to radiators, heaters, stoves or in direct sunlight.
• Make sure that air vents are not covered up and clean the dust off them once or twice a year.
• When on holiday, turn up the temperature in your fridge.  If you will be away for more than a fortnight, switch it off altogether, leaving the door slightly ajar to prevent mold from forming.
• Only open your fridge or freezer when necessary. It helps if you know what food is stored in it where it is located. Return food to the fridge or freezer as soon as possible after you have used it so that it doesn't warm up too much.
• Wipe out the inside of your fridge regularly with a cloth soaked in a mild detergent. Appliances which are not self-defrosting will require regular defrosting. Don't allow frost layers thicker than 10 mm to form.
• Keep the seal around the door clean, otherwise it won't shut properly. Always replace broken seals.

Understanding the stars

* Temperature is at least -6°C; sufficient to store frozen food for about a week. Drawers or compartments marked with one star used to be a feature of (mostly) cheaper fridges. Nowadays they have virtually disappeared from the market.
** Food can be stored at -12°C or below for 1-2 weeks without losing its taste. Not suitable for freezing food..
***   Mainly used to store foods at -18°C or below. Can also be used to freeze up to 1 kilogram of fresh food.
**** This appliance is suitable for storing foods at -18°C or below and freezing larger quantities of fresh foods.

Tips when buying a refrigerator or freezer

• Opt for an environmentally sound, economical appliance. If its working life exceeds 15 years, the energy costs may rapidly outstrip the purchase price. Only models belonging to energy category A+, A++ or A+++  are truly energy efficient and easy on your wallet.
• Make sure the interior of your fridge can accommodate what you normally buy. Do large bottles and containers also fit inside?

Refrigerated and frozen foods / getting food back home safely

Shops and supermarkets store refrigerated and frozen products behind glass on specially designed refrigerated shelves or in industrial freezers. Each appliance must be fitted with at least one clearly visible thermometer. In freezers, the thermometer has to be placed at the maximum height to which they can be filled. This is so that consumers can easily check whether the prescribed temperature of -18°C is being maintained, although temperatures of -15°C are acceptable for short periods.

When shopping, make sure that the freezers in which the food is kept are in good shape and look well maintained. They should not be filled above the indicated stacking limit and the thermometer should be able to display temperatures of at least -18°C. Make sure that the packaging of the product you buy is not damaged and is not covered in ice crystals.

If placed in a properly designed cool bag, frozen produce should reach your home safely. If you don't have such an insulating bag, several layers of newspaper will do, but only for a short period. To prevent food from defrosting too much, go straight home after shopping and put away your food products, in the correct place (fridge, freezer, star compartment).

Since 2011, the new EU energy label has had to be placed on every refrigerator placed on the market in the EU. The information available on the energy labels can be found on this website.