The freezer is an essential household appliance in our kitchens. It allows us to preserve and freeze our food to extend its shelf life. However, sometimes it can present problems such as the formation of frost or poor distribution of the cold. In this article, find out why you should consider putting foil in your freezer to solve these common problems.
Remove frost with foil
THE frost is one of the main problems encountered in freezers. In addition to being unsightly, it can affect the energy efficiency of your appliance and make it difficult to access stored foods. Frost forms when moisture inside the freezer comes into contact with cold surfaces, causing water to crystallize.
Use aluminum as a frost barrier
One of the easiest ways to prevent frost from forming is to use foil to line the inside walls of the freezer. Aluminum has excellent insulating and thermal properties, which allows it to significantly reduce condensation and therefore the formation of frost.
- First, clean the inside of your freezer and remove any existing frost using a plastic spatula.
- Next, cut aluminum sheets to the dimensions of your internal walls. You can also use aluminum foil if you wish.
- Attach the aluminum sheets to the walls using double-sided tape or special glue for cold surfaces.
Thus, the aluminum prevents water from settling on the cold walls and limits the formation of frost. This method is especially effective in freezer models without an automatic defrost system.
Improve cold distribution with aluminum
It may happen that the temperature is not evenly distributed inside your freezer, which can lead to poor preservation of certain foods and promote the proliferation of bacteria. Aluminum can also be used to improve the distribution of cold in your device.
Make an aluminum heat-reflecting mat
The idea is to create an aluminum “mat” that will serve as a base for placing your food inside the freezer. Here’s how:
- Cut a large aluminum sheet, preferably thick, to the dimensions of your freezer bottom.
- Fold this sheet in half to double its thickness and thus improve its insulating capacity.
- Lay the aluminum mat on the bottom of the freezer, then put your food back on top.
This heat-reflecting mat will allow you to more evenly distribute heat and cold inside the freezer, thus ensuring better preservation of your food. In addition, it also facilitates the cleaning of your device by retaining possible drops of water or food debris.
Other tips with aluminum to optimize your freezer
Besides these two main methods, here are some other tips that will help you take full advantage of the insulating properties of aluminum:
- Wrap your food individually : by wrapping your food in aluminum foil before placing it in the freezer, you prevent it from sticking to each other and facilitate its handling.
- Create insulating partitions : to separate different categories of food, you can create aluminum partitions. This will better organize your storage space while limiting heat transfer between the different compartments.
- Protect ice cube trays : covering the top of the ice cube trays with a thin layer of aluminum protects them from dust and other impurities, while accelerating their freezing.
In short, the use of aluminum in your freezer has many advantages in solving common problems such as the formation of frost or poor cold distribution. Thanks to these simple and economical tips, you will be able to take full advantage of the performance of your appliance and optimize the preservation of your food.
