Is the plate fully frozen? What shaking tells you

If liquid slides inside the plate when you tilt it, the filling has not solidified. A solid plate counts as ready only when freezer temperature and time are on record.

7 February 2026Updated 28 September 2026

Short answer

Tilt the plate: if liquid moves inside, the filling is not fully frozen and the plate stays out of dispatch. GEBHARDT requires the filling to be fully frozen and solid before use, with freezing at least 5 °C below the melting point. A shake cannot show that temperature was reached; the freezer record does.

GEBHARDT requires the filling of a eutectic plate to be fully frozen and solid before use. The plate is frozen at least 5 °C below its melting point; the recommended time is 24 hours, and depending on the cooling technology it can run anywhere from 8 to 24 hours.

Melting point	Freezing temperature
-3 °C	-8 °C
-14 °C	-19 °C
-18 °C	-23 °C
-21 °C	-26 °C

While freezing, the plates must not touch each other; a gap has to remain so cold air can circulate between them, and GEBHARDT recommends its freezing rack for this.

At take-out, tilt the plate. If liquid slides inside, the filling has not solidified and the plate stays out of dispatch. If nothing moves the filling is solid, but a shake does not show that the temperature reached 5 °C below the melting point; the measured cabinet temperature and the plate's in and out times prove that.