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There is lots of advice for fridge organization – I’ve offered plenty before – but how about freezer organization? Have you ever opened the freezer and had some heavy, unidentifiable object hurl out and land on your toe? It’s a nightmare. I know I’ve been guilty of cramming things in wherever I can find room in the past when in a hurry. Then either stuff falls out at random or I get to enjoy the excruciating experience of digging out and unearthing something later.
Looking into an organized freezer, on the other hand, always puts me in a good mood because everything is properly packaged and stored, so it lasts longer and doesn’t go to waste, and I know where everything is.
Given that the big winter holiday season is just a short time away, and that those occasions usually involve lots of food, and lots of things that need to be frozen, now is a good time to take stock of your freezer and get it properly organized.
Here are some tried and tested freezer organization tips that you can start using right away. Hopefully, you’ll be as pleased with the results as I am!
Start By Decluttering Your Freezer
Before you can get to work on freezer organization, you need to declutter your freezer! Here’s the best way to go about doing that.
1. Defrost
If you have one of the latest models, chances are your freezer does not need defrosting, so you can skip this step.
But for those who still have freezers that need a manual defrost, read on!
First, turn off the power source before defrosting. Then, take out the contents of your freezer. Place them in a cooler or ice chest while you are defrosting.
Now, all you have to do is melt the ice. Make sure you have an old towel on the floor to catch any leaks.
Don’t have the time to wait for the ice to melt? Make the process faster by using a hairdryer. Just make sure you impose safety measures to avoid electric shock. Another way to make the defrosting process faster is to place a small pan containing hot water in the freezer. Place the lid on the pan. The steam will help the ice to melt faster. This is definitely a safer way than the hairdryer idea.
Do not use knives or ice picks to remove the ice. You could destroy your freezer. Puncturing a freezer wall accidentally can lead to a coolant leak that can’t be fixed! Put on some gloves and get rid of the big chunks that can be broken out. Make sure you do not force them too hard, or, once again, you could cause a freezer killing coolant leak.
Take note that you need to defrost your whole fridge if the ice on the freezer has already reached half an inch thick.
2. Clean up
When the ice is gone, it’s time to give the freezer a thorough cleaning! Only use a mild cleanser to clean the freezer. You can also use a mixture of vinegar, baking soda, and water. Wipe the cleaner in the interior of the freezer with a rag. Then rinse with another rag.
If you have freezer shelves and baskets, take them out and wash them with warm water. Never use soapy water since soap is hard to rinse and can leave a taste on your food.
To get rid of odors left behind by food spills or smelly food items, make a paste out of water and baking soda. Use the paste to scrub the freezer.
Make sure everything is totally dry before you replace the shelving and plug the freezer back in. Also ensure that things are locked in place securely.
Allow the freezer to run for 15 minutes before you start putting the frozen goods back inside.
3. Purge
While waiting for your freezer to dry up after your cleaning session, go through your food items and see if anything has expired. Throw out all expired items – there is obviously no point in keeping them!
If you find a food item that has been in there for months and no one has touched it yet, donate them to a food bank near you. Let’s face it – you have not considered opening them before, you probably will not use them any time now.
What about those unidentifiable food items placed in an unlabeled container? Look for signs of discoloration. You can open it up and smell if the food has gone bad. If you find there is a thick layer of ice or frost inside the container, it means it has been in the freezer way longer than it should be.
Once you are done purging, you will be left with the food items that can still be consumed and worthy of a spot in your freezer.
Understand What Can and Cannot Be Frozen
Even though I wish that all foods could be frozen, some simply do not freeze well. High-moisture fruits and vegetables (such as lettuce and watermelon), dairy products (such as yogurt), and fried foods are examples of items that should be kept out of the freezer.
Pancakes, waffles, nuts, berries, muffins, stocks or broths, meats, fish, shrimp, chilis, and stews are all good candidates for freezing. It’s more likely that you’ll want to eat foods that haven’t been frozen the wrong way and are now suffering from freezer burn.
Freeze in Usable Portions
It may be tempting to toss the entire value-pack of chicken pieces into the freezer to save time when unpacking your groceries, but you’ll come to regret it when you only need a few pieces and the entire package is frozen solid.
Instead, as you undertake proper freezer organization, portion out ingredients into usable portions, such as just four chicken pieces or a half-pound of ground beef, and freeze each portion separately in a separate container or freezer bag. That way, all you have to do is take out what you need and thaw the appropriate amount.
Another option is to freeze everything in individual pieces first, then combine them in one bag or container. The pieces will not stick together this way, and you can simply grab the exact number of pieces you require. This can be an especially useful technique if you have kids and need to be able to make their meals quickly.
You can even freeze the ingredients for a meal together in order for them to be cooked from scratch at a later date. This can be an excellent way to get household members who usually leave the cooking to others to learn to love their ‘inner chef’.
Freeze Flat
Freeze everything flat as much as possible. For example, fill a sturdy freezer bag with the leftover chili, seal it, and place it flat in the freezer until frozen. It’s easier to stack or organize flat, even-thickness items upright in a container.
Use the Right Containers
Freezer burn can be caused by air circulating around frozen foods, so find a container that is as close to the size of what you want to freeze as possible.
If you’re going to use plastic bags, make sure they’re freezer-safe and that you squeeze out as much air as possible before freezing. Make sure foods are tightly double-wrapped if you’re using foil. By doing so, you’ll be able to maximize freezer space while also keeping air out.
Use Organizers
Freezers are typically large open spaces with little to no shelving. While frozen foods can be stacked on top of one another without harming one another, the piles can quickly become unmanageable.
To keep things from falling out, and keep up with good freezer organization, invest in plastic tubs or organizers, and assigning a food category to each organizer will make finding exactly what you’re looking for a breeze!
Don’t Keep Ice Cream in the Door
Because the door is the warmest part of the freezer, avoid putting high-fat items like ice cream there because they may melt and refreeze. Keep the door space open for things like nuts and alcohol!
Make a Real Inventory of Your Freezer’s Contents
Rather than just labelling foods and putting them back in the freezer, this stage of a freezer organization project offers a great opportunity to make a real inventory of just what you will have on hand. Doing so will not only help prevent things from being left in there for so long that they go forgotten until they expire (food in the freezer does expire) but it will also save money as a running inventory will prevent duplicate shopping.
It is possible to create a freezer inventory that is quite straightforward and easy to keep up with. Although there are other, more complicated methods, this one is by far the most straightforward. Here’s how to do it. It’s a really simple process that only needs paper and a pen (although you could use a dry-erase board; if you do that, I recommend a magnetic one that clings to the side of your fridge).
How It’s Done
Set up your list: Create sections on your paper (fold it or just eyeball things!) for meat and fish, fruits and veggies, soups and chilis, prepared dishes, and other. Of course, you can use other categories if there are some that are more suitable for how you shop and cook. These are just my suggestions based on what I tend to have on hand.
Write down what you have: List each item under the appropriate column. For example: Ziti, chicken thighs, strawberries, and so on.
Add your count: Use a circle system to track how many of each item you have. It’s up to you how you decide that. If you have one tray of ziti to feed your whole family, you may want to mark just one circle. But if you have a bag of four chicken thighs, that could be one circle (for the whole family) or four, depending on what makes sense for you. One bag of frozen strawberries could get one circle or a few, if you plan on making a few smoothies out of it.
Update the circles: Hang your list in a spot where you’ll see it and remember to update it. (I recommend on your fridge!) As you pull something out of the freezer, cross off a circle. As you add things to the freezer, write them down where they belong.
Redo your inventory list as needed:You may find that you run out of space on your inventory list. Or maybe you manhandle it with greasy kitchen fingers. Or maybe it gets a little too crowded with stuff you no longer have. Simply take your list, redo it on a clean piece of paper, and put it back in its place.
Need help with a home organization project? Contact us today, so we can discuss your unique organization challenges and needs and how Just Organized by Taya can help.
Working with Taya and her team is easy. You can book an appointment easily on her website, or contact her directly at 832-271-7608
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