How to make the most of little freezer space?

NickiM

Hi,
I am moving into a student house and the amount of freezer space between 6 of us is tiny. We might be getting another freezer but the landlord isn't sure where we could put it. So we might have like half a shelf each (shelves quite close together). I want to be OS and freeze a lot of stuff, but will obviously have to compromise.

So:
a) How do you make the most out of limited space in the way you store?
b) Which do you feel are the most important frozen foods to have?

Thanks.

champys

NickiM - the answer to a) is probably a very obvious one: make sure you use square freezer containers - buy some to size for the exact space if need be.

for b) this entirely depends on what you eat, what you cook and how easily and often you can get to the shops. It will be different for everyone! My freezer is normally stocked with batch cooking, leftovers and things I have baked (which is always too much for 2 people). I will always have a bag of frozen peas in there. Otherwise it is full of fruit and veg from the garden, but that is not likely to be relevant for you. It really depends on your circumstances, and you will probably find out simply by doing!

NickiM

OK, I was thinking plastic bags vs boxes

Well at uni, I'd have access to shops, though would probably buy a lot online and just get fresh stuff from the market. Ideally I want to keep batch cooking - I don't want to buy ready meals. I bake excessively :P. I don't have any outdoor space...

champys

Plastig bags work as well, if you fit them in a storage box first, freeze the contents then take out of the box - so the end result is square as well. Plastic bags just filled randomly are not so space-efficient - although of course you don't always have the choice if you are freezing shaped things (like sausages or steaks for example).

NickiM

Ooooh, I hadn't thought of that idea. My house mates will think I mad, one of my friends already thinks I obsess over freezer space haha.

Stephen_Leak

Another sufferer from freezer box obsessive compulsive disorder here. Use the right sized box.

I regularly cook up batches of stuff and freeze them in individual servings for later. My daughter bought me some, but they were 750ml and 'wasted' a lot of space. I have gradually replaced them for the smaller 500ml ones. Not only do you get two more of them in a £1 pack, but also 3 of them take up the space formerly occupied by 2 of the larger ones.

The plastic does get very brittle, though.

NickiM

Where can you get these boxes from?

sismith42

Can you team up with one or more of your flatmates, and share freezer space? e.g. you split the cost of the ingredients, batch cook something, freeze it in single serving sized portions, and each get half, and your return for this is space on "their" side of the freezer shelf? at the very least, you won't have the dividing line that needs to be kept blank!

What I froze the most freqently at uni was mince: I would buy it in 800g packs, divide it up into 4oz portions (single serving size-- it's the size of a deck of cards), wrap in clingfilm and freeze. then I could use it as I needed. The other big thing was frozen veggies, but if you just don't have the space for this, canned or in jars are ok, too.

random other advice: get a loaf pan! I used one (still do, actually) to make 2-people sized pasta bakes, cottage pie, meatloaf, etc... if you aren't cooking for anyone else, then you have leftovers for lunch without having heaps of leftovers that take over the fridge/freezer. I'm guessing you will also be low on fridge space? Share milk with as many people as possible, since a six pint bottle takes much less room than six one or two pinters... plus it's cheaper:D (well, actually: share as many basic staples as possible, to maximize space)

debbiemc_2

Hi, I'd also suggest that anything you buy that comes in packaging, e.g. boxed pizza, fish fingers etc, you remove the outer packaging and pack in the freezer in food bags instead. I cut out the cooking instructions from the carboard and leave these in my cutlery drawer!

Hope that helps

Debbie

maman

The boxes I use are the same as the ones that many Chinese take-aways come in. I get them from Poundland (or similar cheapie shops).

If you want to be really fussy you can put things in bags inside the boxes and then take them out when they have frozen into blocks!

I'd say best things to freeze are pasta sauces and chillis. Have a big cook-up, add loads of veg to the sauces and then you have instant, cheap, healthy ready-meals to go with pasta/rice/jackets when you're feeling tired/lazy.

Barneysmom

I'd get a Lock & Lock the size of half a shelf, that way you know what's in that box is yours, then fill that with all your stuff, however you decide to freeze it, whether in bags or boxes (or butter tubs).