Half empty Freezer

Nicoll

Just bought myself a 2nd freezer to keep in garage and fill up with reduced food and batch cooking etc... However I don't have much to put in it yet, need to build it up, but don't want to leave it half empty as I believe this used more energy to keep cold. My friend advised putting newspaper in to fill it up but I don't really get newspapers so wondered if anyone had any other suggestions until it is full of yummy food.

torbrex

Polystyrene has worked well for me over the years.

rosie383

Bottles of tap water? Plastic bottles filled again with tap water?

meg72

All of the above suggestions are good, but I resented paying for electric to just freeze water that I wasnt going to use. I stocked up on milk and reduced bread, bought 10 loaves for a £1.Another cheapy I used was potato, loads of mash and baked. I make my own bread so I also froze the bags of flour I had in stock and made up a big batch of pastry mix and crumble.finally I opened tins of beans,tomatos and fruit and froze those,
This helped to rapidly reduce the space, leaving enough room for the
food I could aford at the time. I used these things up eventually and didnt feel I had been wastefulat all.

HappyMJ

The cost difference in running costs is pennies per year so not even worth buying food that you won't use within the 6 month frozen storage recommended time. Frozen food does not last forever it will deteriorate over time so the quicker it is used the better.

Stephen_Leak

Fill it up, so you're not freezing air, but with something you're going to use. Bread is the usual example.

tiff

I think buying a second freezer must be a new trend, I've seen a few posts about this, just got one myself too but waiting to get it hooked up with electricity.

rosie383

Surely if you open tins to freeze them, just so you have the freezer full, that isn't any more economical than freezing bottles of water, or am I missing something?
Fair enough to fill up with 10p loaves etc, and other stuff that you will use, but isn't it better to fill up with free water, rather than freezing stuff that doesn't need to be frozen? Like tinned stuff?

Living_proof

I have filled mine up with old blankets and pillows in the past, but I suppose any pile of old clothes etc. in a big plastic bag would do the trick. Perhaps if you put all your old shoes (in plastic bags, of course) it might kill bacteria. Children's cuddly toys? Filling up plastic milk bottles with water is a good idea though as you can use them to cool down blanched veg. when you are wanting to freeze them.

hilstep2000

Reduced milk. Four pintas take up some room, or tubs of water, and reduced bread as others have said.

LameWolf

Bottles of vodka.:beer:
OK, I jest (to a certain extent);) - I'd also go with the whoopsied loaves to fill it up for the time being. You can always use them up as ingredients in recipes that call for breadcrumbs afterwards.:o

*SIGH* I wish I had somewhere to put a 2nd freezer, to be honest!:o