Last year I took a good hard look at the crypt that was my freezer and determined to do better about being organized and thoughtful about using up food that we already had on hand before trucking off to the grocery store. What I found was that a little organization and intention went a long way and that with a little labeling and a little container love I’d created a system that not only reduced our food waste, but turned my freezer into another pantry of sorts.
Before I got organized about my freezer, it was a place where all food went to die. After a resting period in the tundra, it moved directly to the hens or the compost pile depending on what unidentifiable object I thought I was looking at.
Use Your Freezer Like a Pantry
Now, however, I use the freezer as I believe it was intended, as an extended pantry. With labels on everything and containers that stack and easily organize, I no longer dread opening the freezer, but instead go to it on a regular basis to supplement and add to meals in the works. When I’m doing my regular rotation of food in the fridge and clearing out little bits of this and that, the freezer is just one more place I go for inspiration.
Also, no longer is the freezer a stuffed-full, can-barely-close-the-door sort of place. Instead, I use it often to pull weeknight soups or stews that can be ready in minutes. Just add salad or cooked greens and presto, dinner is ready. The freezer stock is rotating on a regular basis just like my dry pantry items.
- Make soup, omelet, or pizza kits with little leftover bits from the fridge – remember to label everything
- Think about your freezer as if it were another pantry. Use it often and regularly.
Annie
How do you organize your freezer? What works for you?
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