How does the European "four star" freezer system work?
Freezers are designed to try to store foods for
longer periods of time – allowing them to be ready to eat when you are ready
to eat them while still preventing spoilage and any chance of food borne
illness. This makes freezers a great place to keep any food that is likely
to spoil or taste poor over time so that it is ready to eat when you are
ready to eat it.
However, though freezing temperatures keep foods
frozen, regardless of temperature, certain temperatures still make the foods
prone to spoiling and damage, which is why a lot of freezers use a rating
system to show what type of temperature they meet.
The Star Rating System for Freezers
Freezers – especially those in
·
* - Corresponds to a temperature of -6°
C, which keeps food for approximately 1 week max.
·
** - Corresponds to a temperature of
-12° C, which keeps food for approximately 1 month max
·
*** - Corresponds to a temperature of
-18° C, which keeps food for approximately 3 months max
·
**** - Corresponds to a temperature of
-18° C, which keeps food for approximately 12 months max
The difference between 3 stars and 4 has to do with
the cooling mechanism and its ability to adjust for heat from outside
sources. Four stars can quickly adjust temperatures while three stars may
not be able to, thus implying the food may easily become old.
Most freezers these days are four stars, since this
allows food to last for an essentially unlimited amount of time.
Understanding the 4 Star System
Note that the 4 star freezers have a “max” of 12
months, but food inside of the freezer may not be able to stay good for the
full 12 months, and the reality is that some foods can last longer. Pork,
for instance, lasts no longer than 6, while carrots can last as long as 18
months. Meats require careful oversight, so assume that the longer it is in
the freezer, the worse it becomes.
Eating Older Food
If you are keeping food in a 4 star freezer, and
you food is longer than its “maximum” (for example, keeping pork in the
freezer for more than 6 months), you can still eat it. Bacteria cannot grow
in that cold an environment, and the food is still 100% healthy provided it
was taken care of while in the freezer and is cooked correctly when you are
ready to eat it. But after 6 months, the food itself starts to break down
from freezer damage. So after 6 months, the pork is going to taste
considerably worse, and possibly not cook well, despite being completely
safe.
Food that is kept in freezers under 18 degrees
Celsius, however, do run the risk of spoiling. Though most foods will not
spoil as long as they are kept at frozen temperatures, the warmer the food,
the more your risk, so try to make sure your freezer can reach the proper
cold temperatures for safe, long term storage.
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