What's lurking in your freezer?

siegemode

trolleyrun wrote: »

What's this "defrosting the freezer" thing people talk about? :rotfl:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I have an American style FF and it's packed:o I've just had a very difficult game of tetris in order to fit in 4 HM baked loaves and the 3 packs of half price lamb chops and 2 packs of less than half price salmon steaks that were delivered tonight. I have to freeze all meat, then depacket and bag it up so it fits better. I couldn't resist the bargains. I think it would take me a day to make up an inventory and another day of tetris to put it all back. Me thinks it's time to stop shopping for awhile.

JulieGeorgiana

I have 2 freezers, the one indoors has 4 drawers, each drawer has a specific use.

Drawer 1 is lunches (Soup for me and loads of stuff for DD),
Drawer 2 is for Bread (I home make all bread in the house, so store and rotate up to 3 loaves for emergencies),
Drawer 3 is for open bags of veg,
Drawer 4 is for the weeks worth of meals (ie. all meat, ingredients or leftover meals needed for the week, taken from the outside freezer)

The outside freezer is 300litres and stores everything else (meat, closed bags of veg, leftover meals, cheese) I have a spreadsheet, and each week when DH goes out with a list of what's needed for Drawer 4 (I change my spreadsheet accordingly), and every few months we audit, DH takes the phone and calls me while I update my spreadsheet

It's a system that really works, most the time if I bulk cook a meal I'll freeze it indoors and use it that week so it doesn't get forgotten about. But if it needs to go to the outside freezer DH does that when he fills drawer 4. This way he's only going outside once a week

JulieGeorgiana

Steve059 wrote: »

Being a geek, I have an Excel spreadsheet of the contents of my freezer. It also has the dates, so it calculates how long stuff has been in there and highlights it at 91 days. It really does give us control of what's in there.

I thought I was organised!!!! But this is amazing!!!!

So going to do an audit and get all the dates

Genius

[Deleted User]

Steve059 wrote: »

Being a geek, I have an Excel spreadsheet of the contents of my freezer. It also has the dates, so it calculates how long stuff has been in there and highlights it at 91 days. It really does give us control of what's in there.

Great idea to do that:j It's so amazing when you think 'Oh I must bet something there's not much in' but if you actually looked at what you do have in stock you'd be suprised at how much is in there.I have definitely cut back on buying stuff as I know I have so much stuff in store.Its handy sometimes though when my youngest DD has a lean month as she knows she can raid mums freezer for a few odds and ends to help streeetch things a bit.
I know I have a good month at least in the freezer, apart from a tin store that would help out a small grocers shop I think:rotfl:So very little shopping bought this month either, only fresh fruit,veg and milk

craigywv

reading with interest not even going there chest freezer, small freezer, fridge freezer and another freezer I write it down as it goes in and out nightmare come defrosting time

lushlifesaver

Insoired by this thread I've done a freezer inventory and have to admit, i'm slightly shocked at everything I have stashed away in there! Ours is the smaller side of an upright American style fridge freezer.

Ok, deep breath....we have:
Veg drawer : sliced leeks, prepped sprouts, prepped parsnips (all from ys/market bargains), half bag value mixed veggies, 2portions ready to cook roasties, 1 bag mini roasties, 2 portions oven chips

'Components' drawer: 2 fish steaks in butter sauce, 2 boil in the bag salmon portions, 2 peppered steak pies, 2 chicken and veg pies, 5 fish fingers, 1 large spag bol portion, 3 leek and tattie soup portions, 1 hm lasagne portion, 1 sausage casserole portion, 1/2 bag scampi, 1/2 bag tescos party sausage rolls.

Meat shelf: 16 chicken breast, 5 mince portions (each for 2 people), 2 pork steaks, 1 pack sausages, 4 breaded turkey steaks, 1 pack meatballs (12), 3bags of mini pigs in blankets (20 per bag)

Next shelf: 1 giant Yorkshire pudding, 6 ready to bake sausage rolls, 2 small ham and cheese pizza, 1 small cheese and tomato pizza, 5 slice garlic bread, 1portion leek and tattie soup, 3 portions chicken and bacon pasta bake

Top shelf: 2 mini raspberry ripple ice cream pots, 13 'jubbly' ice lollies, bf's slushie cup

In the door pockets: 4 portions chicken and chunky veg soup, 1 portion leek and tattie soup, 4 potato scones, 2 sandwich pittas, 5 sandwich thins

As I start mat leave on 14th march my plan is to turn one of the shelves in to ready to go meal items frozen in portions- e.g chicken/beef/sausage casserole (just add bread or mash/similar), lasagne, chile, spag bol, pies, small pizzas etc so its easy on busy/'can't be bothered' days to have lush food with less effort

Also want to add bacon to the meat shelf as its never on offer when I realise I need it!

Generally I would also usually keep some ham, grated cheese and smoked cheese in there too for bf's lunches but that come from portioning up what I buy at the start of the month in to the freezer to stop it wasting in the fridge!

Soworried

I've been running everything down since November. We are now down to just 1 freezer, we turned the outside one off.
I even have spaces in my indoor one :eek: I'm hoping to fill the gaps in the next 2 days as I am off work so I can do some batch cooking/baking/and YS shopping.

I normally do have an inventory but I've let it lapse at present

Honey_Bear

Steve059 wrote: »

Being a geek, I have an Excel spreadsheet of the contents of my freezer. It also has the dates, so it calculates how long stuff has been in there and highlights it at 91 days. It really does give us control of what's in there.

I'm with everyone else who's quoted you Steve - you're not a geek, you're amazingly well organised. I'm going to see your 91 day spreadsheet and raise you the 'price' on everything I've got in there - from now on. (I've kept a spreadsheet for quite a few years, just didn't think about the 91 day thing - genius.)

I'm a hoarder too, and I am so tired of having to stocktake to remind myself of all the 'useful' stuff I've stashed.

I've also noticed that every time do a freezer inventory, we meal plan and eat out of it for two or three weeks and then I forget about it while I'm meal planning. Knowing the cost/value of everything I've got (tins, packets, jars) as well as the stuff in the freezer would put the brakes on the spending!

Soworried

Steve059 wrote: »

Being a geek, I have an Excel spreadsheet of the contents of my freezer. It also has the dates, so it calculates how long stuff has been in there and highlights it at 91 days. It really does give us control of what's in there.

Would you mind sharing your spreadsheet? I'll understand if you want to keep it to yourself :A

Steve059

Soworried wrote: »

Would you mind sharing your spreadsheet? I'll understand if you want to keep it to yourself :A

It's no state secret. It's just a list of what I've got on each shelf and in each drawer and the date it went in. From this, a simple "today minus date" formula (=TODAY()-A1, for example) calculates the number of days it's been in there. Excel's built-in "conditional formatting" feature turns this red, if the value is over 91 days.

It also does this for the date when I last defrosted it.