What it means
فریزر (frizer) means “freezer,” the appliance or compartment that keeps food frozen. It is a loanword taken directly from English, and Iranians use it for both the freezer drawer on top of a fridge and a separate standalone unit. The fridge part is called یخچال (yakhchâl), so people often say یخچال فریزر (yakhchâl frizer) when they mean the whole combined appliance. On its own, فریزر points specifically to the frozen section, not the cooling shelves.
How to use it
- گوشت رو بذار تو فریزر (gusht ro bezâr tu frizer) “put the meat in the freezer”
- فریزر پر شده، جا نداره (frizer por shode, jâ nadâre) “the freezer is full, there’s no room”
- نون رو فریز کردم تو فریزر (nun ro friz kardam tu frizer) “I froze the bread in the freezer”
- یخچال فریزرمون خراب شده (yakhchâl frizeremun kharâb shode) “our fridge freezer broke down”
Cultural note
The freezer is a busy place in most Iranian kitchens. Families freeze sabzi (chopped herbs) cleaned and bagged ahead of time, along with lavash and barbari bread, and portions of meat bought in bulk. Before big gatherings or Nowruz, the فریزر often fills up with prepped food and herbs for dishes like ghormeh sabzi. Many homes keep a second standalone freezer in a storeroom or basement for exactly this reason.