Let's organize your freezer

When it comes to organizing your freezer efficiently, there are several things to consider. First of all, what type of freezer do you own? Is it a chest freezer, an upright or connected to your refrigerator? A chest or a free-standing upright freezer will be much larger than a freezer that is located either side by side or above or below your refrigerator.

Shelf life

One of the most important considerations in the organization of your freezer is shelf life. Not all frozen foods have the same shelf life. Things that need to be used sooner, should be stored in the easiest place to reach. It is a big help with organization if all items are marked with the date that they are placed in the freezer. Permanent markers are perfect for this, and items can be bagged and marked or wrapped and marked. Who hasn't looked at a piece of meat and tried to figure out if it is still safe to eat? Dating items cuts down on waste.

Food group

Another good way to organize a freezer is by food group. Place the meat on one shelf, vegetables on another and so forth. No one wants to have to sort through endless bags of spinach when what you really want to find is a steak. This is another case where using a magic marker to identify items is helpful. When items are frozen, it is often difficult to tell exactly what you are looking at. Your recipe may call for chicken thighs and you find out you have thawed out chicken breasts. Frustration can be avoided with a little bit of advance planning and organization.

Organize by Shape 

There are some items that you will be storing in your freezer that just scream to be laid flat on a shelf. When frozen foods are sealed and boxed, it is often easier to forget rule one and two and just pile items that are of a similar size together. This can work and does work for things like frozen waffles, pancakes and the like which have a fairly long shelf life because of how they are packaged.

Reserve the door storage for things you will want to use quickly, such as ice cream and that extra pound of butter that you bought because it was on sale. This might also be the spot for your boo-boo bunny and the thermal packs for your cooler.

A neat, efficient and well-organized freezer is no easy task. Between adding, removing and foraging family members it is easy to lose control and efficiency. Before it gets too far out of control, make organization a part of your regular weekly cleaning in the kitchen.