eating up freezer contents

valk_scot

I usually do this once every two months or so, in combination with a larder sort-out. It makes sure that nothing gets too old and out of date in either area. But I've missed doing it over our rather chaotic summer and the freezer is a mess so yes, I'll join in.

I've got a small chest freezer, thirty+ years old. It was my mum's and it's never given a single problem, just chugged its way through several house moves and quietly got on with things. It's hopeless for organisation though so I use big clear plastic bags as "drawers" and there's one for raw meat, one for cooked dishes, one for sausages and bacon etc. It helps but there's always the 3-D Tetris game of fitting it all back in, and the layer of ???? bags at the bottom.

I've also got a tabletop freezer which I keep in the utility room, that's mostly for YS meat and allotment veg. I got it when a friend of mine bought it, found it was too big for the space involved and instead of taking it back gave it to me. Wow...oh well, her loss etc. It's a great wee thing.

Anyway last night I was raking around in the small freezer and came up with four small packs of diced stewing lamb, about a pound and a half in total. I have baby potatoes, carrots and courgettes all needing used up and in the larder I've got a jar of M&S tangine starter paste, with apricots etc. ( M&S were selling these off at 20p a jar a few weeks ago, grab them if you see them. Gorgeous.) So I will make a one-pot lamb tangine type stew today in the oven, and some sourdough bread to go with it. It will do tomorrow as well, none of us care if we eat the same two days running if it's good! I will have some sort of veg with it though tomorrow, probably french beans and cabbage if I can get to the allotment.

Tiglath

I'm in for this - we have two drawer-freezers that are full (mainly meat), and a fairly well-stocked pantry, so all I need really is veg (we're not dessert people). Will make up a list of stuff to use up.

cheerfulness4

thecraftybear wrote: »

Mine is a chest freezer, so no such organisation available here. We tried to place all meat in one bag, all veg in another etc

it's fab on here! I have a file of things to try from Weezl's threads

I've exactly the same bag 'system' going on in my chest freezer. Works, doesn't it?

Weezl's chicken liver Pate from one of her earlier threads and also the Hummous, were really lovely. Surprising as I wasn't really liking either of those things till I tried it.

thecraftybear

cheerfulness4 wrote: »

I've exactly the same bag 'system' going on in my chest freezer. Works, doesn't it?

Weezl's chicken liver Pate from one of her earlier threads and also the Hummous, were really lovely. Surprising as I wasn't really liking either of those things till I tried it.

I'm off to find a red pepper hummus (sp?) recipe as that's my favourite. I am sure there will be tins of chickpeas in my cupboard to be used up for HM hummus!

I could seriously impress DH by doing the tin cupboard inventory before he gets home (would that be a tinventory???) and add that to the list of food to use up. Somehow I need to get him to do a fiscal fast for a week ...... hmmm...... I often have those weeks as I don't have any cash with me, and DD knows I won't buy from the vending machines at the swimming pool (I pack from the cupboard and taker her a drink for when she comes out). I can remember a friend of mine being surprised that I can manage on <£5 for a week, but then she used to buy her sandwiches every day :eek: etc etc .....

Off to do tins whilst I'm feeling inspired ......

Frogletina

I'm trying to do this mainly because I need a new fridge-freezer. Mine is quite old and is getting really noisy and as I have an open plan kitchen/dining room/living room I don't think I can stand it much longer.

Problem for me is I have quite a few cheese dishes/tarts/pizzas to eat up and I have been diagnosed with high cholesterol. Being MSE, I can't bear the thought of throwing them away. So it could take some time, though I do have other things I am working my way through.

squeakysue

Wow so surprised and a little embarrassed at how much stuff I have in my freezer! Sooo much bread and stuff for dd's packed lunches so that will be great as can just buy fresh fruit to add to her lunchbox :j
So many yellow stickered bargains in my freezer too so while I am using up my freezer contents I will not add anything else unless I get YS bargain meat

Here goes eek

Packed lunch stuff for dd and sometimes the OH:
18 frubes
9 munch bunch squashums
3 scones
17 assorted sandwich rolls
4 pittas
3 hot dog rolls
4 savoury egg snack packs
2 bagels
1 pack wraps
5 sausage rolls
2 sub rolls
3 cheese sandwiches

NOTE TO SELF, DO NOT BUY ANY MORE BREAD PRODUCTS EXCEPT LOAVES!

Rest of freezer contents:
20 fishfingers
3 chicken nuggets
9 Yorkshire puddings
4 turkey burgers
3 hash browns
2 potato waffles
Handful frozen chips
4 burgers
12 pork sausages
10 chicken fingers
Cheese n onion pasty
1 breaded fish fillet
3 part baked rolls
2 gammon steaks
1 block stuffing
Bag breadcrumbs
Carton leek n potato soup
Carton carrot n coriander soup
Pack 28 crab sticks
2 pack Filo pastry
9 chicken breasts
Whole chicken
1 pack lamb mince
1 tub chicken casserole
Beef rump joint
1/2 pack babycorn
1/2 pack mixed veg
1/2 pack broccoli
6 mini corn cobs
3/4 pack green beans
3/4 pack sweet corn
1/2 pack red cabbage
15 ice pops
18 assorted ice lollies

Phew that's the lot!:eek:
Have plenty of ideas for dinners and won't buy any fresh veg till I use up the frozen stuff. Think I need to invite some kids round for tea after school to use up the fishfingers/nuggets/waffles etc and of course the ice pops and lollies!
Dinner tonight is from the fridge and plan to defrost the chicken for tomorrows dinner. Have a great day all

thecraftybear

squeakysue, my list is about 3 times that long :eek:. Never mind, looking forwards, it'll all get eaten up soon. Off to do the tins, still not got there yet, been reading about fiscal fasting ......

thecraftybear

OK, so now I'm sure I don't need to shop for about a month!!! here is the tin list [slightly red faced as i post it but I know you guys are nice and supportive!!]
TIN CUPBOARD
19 beans
7 small steak
1 small chicken
2 ravioli
3 spaghetti
9 tomatoes
7 tuna
1 sardines
6 small sweetcorn
2 chicken and sweetcorn soup
2 tomato soup
4 condensed chicken soup
1 canellini beans
1 condensed milk
2 raspberries
1 mandarins
Gelatine
Black eyed beans
Corned beef
Rice pudding
5 new potatoes
2 borlotti beans
3 hot dogs
Chicken paste for sandwiches
Enchilada sauce
Balti paste
Tikka masala paste
Box of custard
Dried mushrooms
3 tiptop
2 jar carbonara pasta bake
3 pease pudding
Chilli beans
4 kidney beans
Bean sprouts
Cook in sauce for beef/sausages
salmon


Sooooooooo what fabulous ideas do you guys see from my list? We have pasta, noodles and rice in the house with probably a few more jars lurking in a different cupboard. There's a TON of meat in my freezer to eat up (hence title of this thread).

Tonight is sorted (using up one jar and leftovers from yesterday) but I'm totally open to ideas for the rest of the week. Although, Weds is already down as chilli out of freezer as we have to have a quick turn around.

kettlenic

Great challenge - mine i smostly fish as my folks are keen fishermen and when they visit the uk they fish for trout and then in Norway cod - which they can bring back - I have heaps of fish that I am slowly getting through...and some frozen veg as well...

good idea to eat it all before the winter so I have spece to batch cook!!

Tiglath

I'd definitely go for tuna or salmon + sweetcorn carbonara pasta bake. Hotdog + chilli beans, or chop the hotdogs and do a risotto. Mash the corned beef, fry with onions, add beans and have with the new potatoes. The condensed chicken soups would work as cook-in sauces; add the soaked dried mushrooms and whatever else you fancy (could go veggie on that one with the cannellini/borlotti). The chicken + sweetcorn soup plus the beansprouts could be an Oriental soup, thickened with cooked rice or noodles to be more like a stew. The enchilada sauce with tinned beans could be Mexican over rice; the corned beef mashed and fried would also work in that.