FORTRESS offers a wide range of kitchen appliances to help home-based chefs to stir-fry, boil, steam, braise, stew, bake and even experiment with other interesting cooking methods. But with lots of ingredients to prepare each delicious meal, you need space to store them and also those extra portions not used. The ideal solution is a small home freezer.

Q&A on choosing a small home freezer

1. What different types of door designs are there?

Doors are divided into hinge-type, sliding and glass. The hinge-type door preserves temperature well and is less prone to frost. The sliding door saves space and makes it easier to store and retrieve ingredients, while the glass door provides an unobstructed view of what’s inside the freezer without having to open it. The first two are more commonly used in domestic freezers while the latter is more commonly used in commercial freezers.

2. What is the difference between a freezer and a refrigerator?

A freezer is actually the 'ice compartment' (freezer) of a refrigerator and is used to store ingredients as well. Apart from storing fresh frozen ingredients, a freezer can be used to store vegetables that have already been 'dressed' or 'prepared'. This allows busy chefs to prepare lunches, meals etc. with fresh ingredients at any time.

3. What capacity should I choose?

Choose the capacity by referring to your current ice compartment. If the one you have at home is small and you want to store ingredients that take up a lot of space such as long-legged crabs, it is best to choose a larger model. To ensure optimal storage, it is advisable to fill up to about 70% to 80% of the freezer's capacity so you need to bear this in mind and reserve extra capacity when purchasing a freezer.

Usage tips

Check out the following tips to ensure you use your freezer safely and properly!

1. Defrost regularly

As most freezers are not equipped with an auto defrost system, you need to defrost them at least once every 2 to 3 months. Switch off the power after removing any food and open the door to defrost at room temperature. Note that the inner layer of the fridge is easily damaged so never use tools to remove ice or frost by force.

2. Improve insulation

The upper layer of some freezers may not be able to maintain constant temperature well. To improve the insulation of your freezer, cover food in insulation material to retain the cold air and to ensure that the freezer is kept cold constantly.

3. Avoid direct sunlight

Sometimes freezers are placed in the family room or on a balcony. The waterproof design of most freezers is adequate for normal weather. However, it is important to avoid direct sunlight as this may cause overheating and increase the workload of your freezer.

4. Heat dissipation

As freezers need to disperse heat, follow the instructions in the manual to allow a suitable distance for heat dissipation. Do not place the freezer too close to a wall or cover the metal surface of the freezer with fabric as this may prevent the freezer dispelling heat properly.

5. Storage temperature for breast milk

Breast milk can be stored in the freezer for several months as a backup for mothers. Store breast milk in a separate freezer compartment to avoid odour or contamination to ensure peace of mind during feeding. Breast milk needs to be stored at a temperature of minus 18-20C, a standard you need to consider when choosing a freezer.