Yesterday I ended up spending a few hours on emptying all of the freezers, organizing and replacing everything back in them, rotating the older stuff to the top, and making sure to thoroughly clean all the surfaces in-between. It amazes me just how much crud can get spilled in there! So here is the new and improved system.
Much better! I can find everything easily, see most everything at a glance, and even made it teen friendly by labeling the drawers - no home is complete without Sharpies! No more endless, non-productive, freezer digging! Typically, I purchase meats when on sale - usually looking for half off kind - and stock up a month's worth of meat for that price (or what ever my meager budget will allow). I have found some great help here with Reynolds' new Perfect Portions Freezer wrappers, as I usually don't cook very many meals where meat is the "main course" on its' own, though like to add bits of meat into various recipes to make it last as long as possible. So, when I pick up a pack of chicken breasts, I usually try for the largest size as it has the biggest discount for purchasing in bulk (same with beef and pork). These allow me to portion down before freezing, so I only take out what I need and also allows me to save money by reusing my expensive freezer bags by keeping them rotating with individual servings. I can use multiple times, since I never really take the main bag out of the freezer. Always a win-win!
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| Chicken breast portions - singles |
Here is what it looks like with my portions already frozen. I get the heavy duty (quality) freezer bags, as they do much better and hold up much better than the cheap guys. I think I paid all of $3 for 75 ct of the portions bags and so much cheaper to toss a bag that costs only $.04 than one that costs $.20! Also great, as I can load them without directly touching the meat and avoiding a larger mess or washing my hands 30 times while packing it all down! I have my beef and pork the same way, often in 1lb portions. Then I just label the bag with dates (have I mentioned I love sharpies!), and rotate the older stock into the inside freezer as needed. Each type of meat is further separated into the chest freezer into stack-able baskets for easy searching (and easier on the back!). Keeps everything fresh and easily found with little hassle or having items lost in the abyss of the chest freezer.
I have always extremely disliked food waste, and take as many steps to prevent it as possible. After breaking down the freezer yesterday, I was shocked to see just how many little frozen veggie bits had fallen to their death at the bottom of the freezer - they are now fodder for the compost bin, so not a huge loss. Just a waste of money if meant to be eaten. So ended up switching them all into quart freezer zip lock bags. Figure there is no need to label, as it is easy to see just what veggies are where, and the quart bags are perfect for holding one regular size bag of veggies (also as I replace the veggies I do stock, they can go into the same bag - no waste!) No more half-used, crap bags; digging through to see just what I do have, or having rogue veggie bits meandering all over the freezer at whim. Everything is neat and tidy! Woot!
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| Easy to find veggies now! |
With cooking for just my son and I, we never ended up needing the whole bag of veggies at a time, and I adore having frozen veggies on hand to toss into casseroles, soups, stews, etc. Also, many of the fresh produce items I purchase get processed (cleaned, diced, etc) then sent into the freezer so they are on hand when I want them. Creates much less waste, especially with the bell peppers, onions, summer squash, seasonal fruits not canned, etc. Usually though I will dice or chop them, throw them on a cookie sheet in one layer, then place into the chest freeze for a couple of hours until frozen and then straight into a freezer zip lock bag - that way, you have frozen bits for ease of use, rather than one solid clump. So much cheaper to purchase fresh and freeze yourself, also save quite a bit when produce runs on sale!
So hopefully this may help a few out there wanting to get control of their food storage issues, or perhaps give others a few ideas to make life a little easier and dinner prep a little quicker. I am always happier to dice, chop and create when I have a little time, rather than trying to be rushed to get a dinner on the table and something in the belly before 9 pm ends up rolling around. Life can get hectic, time can get away from us all, and just remember - life happens. Just try and make the best of it. I am usually pretty worn out with just going to the grocery, and will often toss everything that needs to be dealt with in the extra fridge in the garage for an hour or so (couple of times even overnight) until I was better prepared to get it all packaged down and where it needed to be. Works great for me, but perhaps not for some. Just have to find what works for you!
