How do you organize your deep-freeze freezer?

[SASM]

We just recently bought a small deep freezer for the garage. It is small but deep with only two top baskets. I have no idea how to organize it. I freeze almost everything flat and it either quart or gallon bags. Do you have a favorite plastic basket or something? Any particular order, top to bottom, etc?

TIA!!

[smiles33]

We have a large deep freezer that's horizontal, not the easier to use upright ones. Thus, food was always getting lost in the bottom and we rarely dug through it. A few months ago, we went to a dollar store and bought several huge shallow plastic baskets (for lack of a better word) that can stack. No lids, so they sometimes don't sit perfectly flat if the frozen food is lumpy (like in a quart sized sandwich bag), but it easily lifts out so I can get to the baskets on the bottom.

Now I organize the food by level (e.g., extra chicken stock and stuff we rarely use on the very bottom, DD's frozen mac and cheese on the top basket). It's so much better as I don't have toss a bunch of food that's been forgotten for several months and left to get freezer burn!

HTH!

[elephantmeg]

boxes-mainly diaper boxes lol. I found a set that would work 2 deep. Meats in one, cheese in one, fruits + veggies in one, breads and potatoes in one, meals in one and the little basket holds frozen dinners.

[kijip]

Ours is the same as yours- two baskets on top and all the rest open. It is a free for all in there. I need to do something about that...but it is on the nice to do list and not the must do list for now.

[SASM]

We have a large deep freezer that's horizontal, not the easier to use upright ones. Thus, food was always getting lost in the bottom and we rarely dug through it. A few months ago, we went to a dollar store and bought several huge shallow plastic baskets (for lack of a better word) that can stack. No lids, so they sometimes don't sit perfectly flat if the frozen food is lumpy (like in a quart sized sandwich bag), but it easily lifts out so I can get to the baskets on the bottom.

Now I organize the food by level (e.g., extra chicken stock and stuff we rarely use on the very bottom, DD's frozen mac and cheese on the top basket). It's so much better as I don't have toss a bunch of food that's been forgotten for several months and left to get freezer burn!

HTH!

Thank you! I am going to have to check the dollar store. The last time that I looked there I didn't see any that stacked but I wasn't looking for that type of basket. THANK YOU! Sounds like you ahve a nice setup now. :)

[SASM]

boxes-mainly diaper boxes lol. I found a set that would work 2 deep. Meats in one, cheese in one, fruits + veggies in one, breads and potatoes in one, meals in one and the little basket holds frozen dinners.
WOW! You must have a HUGE freezer! I wouldn't be able to fit ONE diaper box in mine, let alone FIVE!! I am jealous!! Sound like you have a GREAT system! Thank you!

[hellokitty]

Subbing, I really need to figure some sort of system out. I've actually found like 3 yr old frozen foods in mine...

[niccig]

We have a large deep freezer that's horizontal, not the easier to use upright ones. Thus, food was always getting lost in the bottom and we rarely dug through it. A few months ago, we went to a dollar store and bought several huge shallow plastic baskets (for lack of a better word) that can stack. No lids, so they sometimes don't sit perfectly flat if the frozen food is lumpy (like in a quart sized sandwich bag), but it easily lifts out so I can get to the baskets on the bottom.

Now I organize the food by level (e.g., extra chicken stock and stuff we rarely use on the very bottom, DD's frozen mac and cheese on the top basket). It's so much better as I don't have toss a bunch of food that's been forgotten for several months and left to get freezer burn!

HTH!


I do this too. BUT I still have old stuff in there...it's on my list to go through it. I think it'll help to have an inventory list, so you know what's in there, but you'll have to keep it updated!

[smiles33]

Sadly, even with our trays, we do sometimes find food over a year old in there. I tried the inventory list idea but was too lazy/forgetful to update it every time I took something out or added something in....