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183 Defrosting in the Miele steam oven Deep-freezing food is the most natural and perhaps most convenient preservation method. When you freeze food, the vitamin loss is minimal and minerals are completely retained. As freezing does not completely deactivate micro-organisms, frozen food should be prepared and consumed immediately after it is removed from the freezer. Depending on the type and size, food can be cooked frozen or partially or fully defrosted. When it comes to defrosting, you’ll find the steam oven’s gentle approach very helpful. Select the “De- frost” function (depending on the model). Set the temperature and duration as per the defrosting chart. Adhere to standing times to allow even heat distribution. Please note: • Use shallow dishes for defrosting wherever possible as these speed up the process consi- derably. • Freeze food in smaller, handy portions. Several smaller portions can always be defrosted more gently and faster than a single large portion. • Frozen food of a similar size and nature (e.g. several chicken legs) can be defrosted together without any changes to the temperature setting or the defrosting time compared to one single item, provided the items were frozen individually. • Take the food which needs defrosting out of its packaging (exceptions: bread and baked goods) and place on a flat plate or in the shallow cooking container. • You can turn the food halfway through and se- parate it out. This is particularly relevant to thick items being defrosted (e.g. joints of meat). • Once the defrosting time has finished, allow the food to stand at room temperature for a little while. This standing time (see chart below) is required to ensure that the item can defrost all the way through.