Does Your Freezer Scare You? 5 Tips to Tame It

When you open your freezer, are you met with an ice-covered abyss of unidentified objects? 
Does the thought of “stocking up” on anything scare you because you’ll have to make more space? 
Not sure what you should meal plan because you don’t know what’s left in there? 
Whether your freezer is just ½ of a typical fridge, or you have the largest chest you could find, keeping it under control will make your life better! 

This hit home last time we returned from the butcher with two truckloads of meat!  Our fleet is seven chest and upright freezers, plus the freezers of two extra refrigerators, and keeping track of what’s where, how much inventory we have left, and GETTING IT ALL IN is no easy feat! No lies, I consider myself something of a pro at freezer jenga. 

Here are 5 tips to make life with a freezer more enjoyable:

1. Find containers that fit efficiently.  We use the heavy duty cardboard boxes from our butcher because they fit in the freezer perfectly. (We always have tons of these boxes so let us know if you’d like some!) Heavy duty plastic bins are another option we like.  You lose a small amount of capacity by using boxes & bins, but the trade off in being able to pull them out to access what’s underneath or behind is worth it! 
2. Choose a strategy to organize: group all like items together, like all beef in a bin, all pork, all veggies.  Depending on space & volume, you might sort even further – all steaks together, all sausage, all roasts, each type of veggie.  This method makes it easy to see how much you have left of each item.
   OR    Mix items proportionately to the rate you’ll use them.  For instance, put a week’s worth of items in one container – maybe that’s 3 meats, 5 veggies and 2 fruits. Pack variety in each container, then each week, use the items in that box to meal plan.This method forces you to use everything up and makes weekly choices less overwhelming!
3. Label!  Label at least every box/bin, preferably every item with the date it went into your freezer, so you can use the oldest first!  Use magnetic clips or a dry erase board on the freezer to draw a chart of what’s where.  Sometimes we also write a note on the top box of what’s underneath it.  Do not assume that you’ll be able to tell the difference between frozen green beans & rhubarb a year from now!
4. Check your freezer!  Open it every 3 days to make sure it’s functioning!  If it’s not, items should still be cool with this time interval and safe to refreeze.   If you can’t check often, install a temp monitor with an alarm to protect your investment! You don’t want to find out your freezer failed when you smell it!
5. Defrost if & when you get more than ½” of ice buildup.  Easiest to do in cold weather – remove everything and set it outside (protected from animals!).  Turn the freezer off & block the lid/door open.  Within a few hours, you should be able to pull chunks of ice out of the freezer, which is faster & easier than waiting for it to melt completely.  Either open the drain and place a container under it, or use old towels to sop up any water in the bottom.  Now is a good time to give the freezer a thorough scrubbing!  Dry, remember to TURN BACK ON, and replace your neatly organized inventory! 

 
Hopefully these tips will help you keep the Abominable Freezer Monster under control – and make stocking up an easier option! 

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