How to overcome the blackhole that is your freezer

We held a major pork sale last week. I was surprised by the amount of people who reported that, although they would like to participate and get a great deal on our amazing pork, they simply didn’t have room in their freezer.

This really got me thinking. Why do so many people have no space in their freezer?

I mean, even a standard freezer has at least 10 cubic feet of space. Since about 25 pounds of food can leisurely fit in one cubic foot, that means people are stockpiling at least 250 pounds of food! And, if you pack your freezer like you play Tetris, you can fit way, way more.

This led me to one conclusion:

The freezer is like the blackhole of the kitchen. You put stuff in, but it rarely comes out.

So, this week I am offering you some simple freezer organization tips. I hope this will help you better utilize your freezer.

1. Keep a freezer inventory list.

This list should go in a visible location. I keep mine on my freezer door. But, if you prefer to have a clean fridge, you could put your freezer list inside a pantry door or basically any place in the kitchen that you would see it frequently. 

You want to be reminded that you have so much wonderful food in your freezer. And, more importantly, you want to eat your freezer food! Although foods in the freezer technically stay “good” indefinitely, they do start to degrade after a year.

I’m sharing a no frills freezer inventory sheet with you. You can download it here, print, and use!

Simply write down all the items currently in your freezer. When you add food to the freezer, add it to the list. When you’re thinking of your meal plan, check the list. When you take an item out, cross it off!

2. Organize your freezer.

This seems logical, but we all know that life happens. You get a 5 lb butter bundle and squeeze it in the cracks. Yes, this saves time in the present. But, keeping an organized freezer will save you so much time and stress in the long run.

The fact that you’re reading this means it’s time. It’s time to just do it.

Go ahead. Take everything out of your freezer. Separate it into categories - meat, veggies, fruit, prepared meals, and other. Then, place it back in an organized way.

3. Use baskets. 

I have 3 plastic rectangular baskets in my freezer (like these ones). This is how I divide my freezer space. 

One basket for meat, one for veggies, one for fruit. Then the rest of my freezer is for prepared meals and other yummy things like butter or bone broth. 

4. Freeze food and prepared meals in the same shape, as flat as possible.

Have you ever made a humongous pot of chili and had lots of leftovers? Have you ever had a stellar green bean harvest and couldn’t eat them all? Ever prepped ahead to make freezer meals? Use your freezer!

If you use odd size containers and bags, these foods can take up a ton of space and also be hard to find.

If you use all the same shape of rectangular container, you will save a lot of space. Or, even easier, freeze in one gallon ziplock bags. Lay the bags flat and spread the contents evenly. Once frozen, you’ll have neat bricks of food that can be stored like books on a shelf.

I hope these tips are helpful. I also hope that, if you’re freezer is packed, you can start to use some of your wonderful food. Best wishes for your freezer!

*Photo by Taz under CC 2.0.