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Learning How to Organize Your Freezer can be a lifesaver. In addition to extending the life of peak-season produce, you can stock up on meat and fish and delegate large-batch cooking to weekends, which will save you time during busy weeknights.
The freezer can quickly become a disorganized wasteland of icy mystery meals, destined for the trash when you’re not on top of your game. Losing control of your cold storage quickly transforms it from a blessing into a burden. Read more to learn How to Organize Your Freezer perfectly.
Keep Your Frozen Goods Fresh and Accessible
Keeping an eye on your freezer all the time is your best bet. Stay ready so you don’t have to prepare. The process is much easier than you might imagine: With a little planning and a few choice products, you can set up an easily-maintained system.
The following tips and tools will get your freezer shipshape and keep it that way so you don’t have to spend an hour deep-cleaning it.
Set Your Priorities
Nobody can tell you how to prioritize the contents of your freezer properly; what is most important to you is part of a very personal hierarchy. Bags of frozen vegetables are the most frequently used item for some, while others rely on the availability of leftovers on busy weeknights.
Specify your desires and needs, then arrange your freezer accordingly: Have the most frequently used or urgently needed short-term items in the front and long-term items in the back.
Stick a dry-erase board or notepad on the front to keep track of what’s inside your freezer (or fridge! ). As a result, you’ll waste less food, go shopping less frequently, and keep track of your tasks at all times.
Label and Date Everything
Remove the uncertainty about what’s in your freezer and how long it’s been there. Label each container clearly with the name and date of what’s inside.
Create Zones in Your Freezer
To keep bags of frozen produce from shifting around, use large bins to create categories. Soups, casseroles, meat, fruits and vegetables, frozen entrees, and so on are examples of categories.
Choose clear, freezer-safe bins with cutout handles, and label and date the bins clearly. The best way to divide your space is determined by the location of the freezer compartment (top, bottom, or side).
A shelf divider or stacking organizer can be useful for top- and side-compartment freezers. Consider repurposing open desktop file boxes for bottom-compartment and chest freezers; they are ideal for slim boxes like frozen pizzas.
Go Vertical
It may appear to be a minor change, but storing products upright in your freezer makes a significant difference in terms of both immediate organization and long-term tidiness.
You’ve probably heard that putting leftover soups or stews in large zip-top bags and freezing them on their sides saves space. The trick is to keep your bags upright in a row like albums in a crate once they’re solid.
You can easily flip through them to see what you have and pull out what you need without disturbing the stack. Nonliquid freezables, such as individual protein portions or ready-to-blend smoothie packs, can also be bagged using the same method.
Vertical storage is also the answer for boxed frozen foods like veggie patties and toaster waffles. Lining your boxes up on their sides prevents a frozen food avalanche and ensures you always have a place for the next item you bring home from the grocery store. If you must stack, use deli containers, which are easy to stack and label.
Use Freezer-Safe Storage Containers
The freezer-safe containers are the first step in properly storing food in your freezer. There are numerous options available, ranging from freezer bags to leakproof stacking storage containers.
Consider purchasing a full set of containers in various sizes. Choose ones that can be used in the freezer, refrigerator, dishwasher, and microwave.
Label and Date Everything
Remove the uncertainty about what’s in your freezer and how long it’s been there. Label each container clearly with the name and date of what’s inside.
Seal Your Bags Properly
Seal your bags tightly with a food sealer to remove all the air and allow you to see what’s inside. You will not only save freezer storage space, but you will also preserve your food more effectively.
For Chest Freezers
Use dividers, containers, and bins to create zones and keep items like bags of frozen vegetables or fruit together.
Repurposing a shelf divider at one end of the freezer is another great way to utilize all of the deep space while keeping items easily accessible.
Maximize the Storage Space in Your Freezer
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
If you don’t use storage containers when filling your freezer, you’ll end up with a jumbled mess. Baskets are ideal because they keep like items together, keep things from taking up more space than they should, and allow for stacking.
Meat, poultry, and fish should be kept at the bottom of the freezer. They should be stored in containers and not on the same shelf as other non-meat items. Fruit and vegetables should be stored higher in the freezer in sealed containers to avoid leaks.
Chest freezers are more energy-efficient than upright freezers, have a longer life expectancy, are less expensive to purchase and maintain, have more usable storage space, and keep food fresher for longer in the event of a power outage.
More How-to Tips and Tricks:
- How to Store Dry Herbs Properly
- How to Store Strawberries
- How to Clean Stainless Steel Pots and Pans
- How To Debone Chicken Thighs
- How to Store Mint
- How to Dry Fruits in the Oven
- How to Pickle Onions
- How to Debone Chicken Breast Easily
- How to Pickle Cucumbers
- How to Perfectly Melt Chocolate
