No matter how much money you have, youll find a way to spend it.
The same principle applies to freezer space.
Like most people, my freezer is the graveyard of my kitchen.
Is organizing your freezer sexy?
So lets get started.
Both problems have the same solution: Rinse them off withcoldwater.
Seriously, you are never going to use that half-empty, frosted-over bag of corn.
The leftover cookie dough you packed away last year?
Its worm food now.
Take a real look at the items that are left.
Can any be consolidated down to smaller bags?
Are the bags still sealing?
Is everything labeled correctly?
Take the time now to re-bag, reseal, and relabel.
Dont just write what the item isdate it.
Dont bother using your sharpie on containers directly, it will wipe or freeze off.
Thats why we have frog tape.
Now, make a list of whats there on your pad of paper.
(Three bags of peaches, four frozen steaks, one pound of chicken wings, etc.)
Do not refreeze anything with meat or dairy unless you have put the item through a cooking cycle.
Here, we rely on some deduction.
First, rinse off bags or containers with cold water, enough for the frost to disappear.
This can help reveal whats underneath.
If you still dont know what youre looking at, try defrosting a small piece, if possible.
(Oh, hey, duck fat.
I knew you were in there, somewhere.)
Once youve figured it out, label it, repackage, add it to the list and recategorize.
Its not like you were ever going to use it if you dont know what it is.
Defrost the sucker and use it tonight or tomorrow.
Do not refreeze anything with meat or dairy unless you have put the item through a cooking cycle.
Everything loses some flavor in the defrosting-and-refreezing cycle.
Now its time to reload the freezer.
First, clean the empty freezer using hot rags.
If there are cracks in the plastic, use white duct tape to seal them shut.
Theyre easy to replace.
Then, load back in.
Extraneous stuff always seems to fit on the door.
The garage freezer is for bulk and long-term storage.
Take the list you made of everything in your freezer and load that sucker up into Google Sheets.
Use that spreadsheet to shop from each week.
How many nights do you find yourself wondering what the hell you want to eat?)
Start with the spreadsheet for ideas of what is already in your house.
This will also help you shop more cost efficiently.
Is a freezer spreadsheet a bit much?
You whip out your phone, check the sheet and confirm.
(Did you just get an oxytocin hit?
Because I did.)
