19Switching the Appliance offTo switch off, hold down the (A) button.If the appliance is not going to be used for an extended period:1. Turn off the appliance.2. Remove the mains plug or switch off or turn out the circuit breaker or fuse.3. Defrost the freezer compartment and clean the appliance thoroughly (seesection: "Cleaning and Maintenance").4. Finally, leave the doors open so as to avoid a build up of odours.Freezing and storing frozen foodYou can use your freezer for freezing fresh food yourself.Important!The temperature in the freezer compartment must be -18 °C or colderbefore freezing food.Please observe the freezing capacity given on the rating plate. The freez-ing capacity is the maximum quantity of fresh food that can be frozenwithin a period of 24 hours. If you wish to freeze food several days in a row,please observe a maximum capacity of only 2/3 to 3/4 of that on the rat-ing plate. The quality of the food is best preserved when it is frozen rightthrough to the core as quickly as possible.Allow warm food to cool down before freezing. The warmth will causeincreased ice formation and increase the power consumption.Please note the maximum storage times specified by the manufacturer.Thawed foods which have not been processed further (cooked into meals)may not under any circumstances be frozen a second time.Containers with flammable gases or liquids can leak at low temperatures.There is a risk of an explosion! Do not store any containers with flamma-ble materials such as, for example, spray cans, fire extinguisher refill car-tridges etc in the refrigerator/freezer.Bottles and cans must not be placed in the freezer. They can burst whenthe contents freeze, high carbonate content drinks can even explode!Never store lemonade, juices, beer, wine, sparkling wine etc. in the freezer.Exception: high alcohol content spirits can be stored in the freezer.All foods must be packed air tight prior to freezing, so that they do not dryout or lose their flavour, and so that no flavour contamination of otherfrozen goods occurs.Caution! Do not touch frozen food with wet hands. Your hands could freezeto the food.1. To achieve faster freezing of food or to freeze the maximum allowed quanti-ty, depress the ambient switch 12 hours before loading the food withoutmodifying the thermostat setting.