How to Get That Huge Block of Ice Out of Your Freezer
Your freezer is your best friend. Because besides frozen pizzas, you can freeze many more things that can put a delicious meal within easy reach. The less fun thing about this best friend: the thick layers of ice on the walls. Does the inside of your freezer look like one big glacier? Then it’s time to defrost it — and with this step-by-step plan, it’s a piece of cake.
Removing a Block of Ice from Your Freezer
Where does all that excess ice actually come from? Most likely because you didn’t close the door properly. This lets warm or humid air into the freezer. It comes into contact with the cold air, resulting in a thick layer of ice. And that’s not exactly good for your freezer, by the way. Freezing things takes longer, which also means it uses more energy. So always make sure to close that door properly.
Here’s how to do it, in 4, 3, 2, 1…
1. Start by emptying the freezer (you might come across some very strange things…) so you can remove the ice. These cold days are perfect for this chore, by the way, because you can put the items from the freezer outside to keep them cold for a while. Once everything is out, unplug the freezer and you can start scraping.
2. Don’t make the beginner’s mistake of not putting a mop or towel in front of the freezer, because lots of ice means lots of water. The AD gave us a golden tip: sliding a shallow baking tray underneath works well too.
3. It’s best to remove the ice with a spatula or an ice scraper. These make it easy to scrape the walls clean. Above all, don’t use sharp objects. Thick layer of ice in the middle? Place a bowl of boiling water on the bottom. This will make the ice melt faster.
4. Once the freezer is completely ice-free, all you need to do is give it one final clean with a cloth and warm water. Make sure the freezer is completely dry before plugging it back in, otherwise you’ll have to start all over again! Also check whether any of the things you found in your freezer, behind that block of ice, can still go back in the freezer. Even food in the freezer has an expiration date.
And if you now want to fill the freezer with meat again right away, read these five really good tips for freezing and defrosting meat.
And were you wondering how we ended up with this severely neglected freezer? It belongs to FavorFlav’s Sharon — and yes, she’s deeply ashamed and solemnly promised us to remove this layer of ice as soon as possible.
Also read:
- 10 things you can (also!) keep in the freezer
- 10 things chefs love to keep in the freezer
- Recipe: boozy grapes from the freezer
Source: AD
