Help....how do you organize you chest freezer

skintmumof3

As per title.......
My chest freezer is so unorganized.....I always tend to use up what on the top so the bottom stuff doesn't get used.....
I would your ideas on how you all arranged yours....
Thanks
Skint
xx

Linda32

I have only got a fridge freezer plus a table top freezer so slightly smaller. But I just write a list and keep it in the kitchen drawer, then add or take away accordingly.

craigywv

being 4 foot 11 my chest freezer gets the bottom seeing daylight about once a year when hubby off work else its missing mother in freezer! good luck!

lostinrates

Hmm,

Always looking to improve is the honest answer.

I have boxes in mine, so I have it divided roughly in to meat and main meals then veg and fruit and then dairy. I only have two baskets, which are reserved for quick freezer diving, things frozen for particular meals in mind for example. and the freezer is huge. (We call it 'the panic room'. )

The boxes do't quite fit the freezer properly so some things get wedged down the side and lost and then subject to burn....


Improving my freezer storage is always something I'm keen to do but something I'm never succeeding that well at.

terra_ferma

I don't have a box freezer, but the principle is the same, about every couple of months I do a stock take and what needs to be used up is cooked the following week.

krlyr

I keep everything in carrier bags, sorted by type. So frozen veggies in one, bread products (pitta bread, wraps, garlic bread, etc.) in another, and so on. I tend to keep them roughly in the same place, and keep the more frequently used items at the top. If I do need a bag from the bottom, the dining table is right next to the freezer so it's just a case of picking up 2 or 3 bags and putting them on the table.

I try to use different bags so I can recognise them at first glance - I know the veggies are in a big Iceland bag for example (they're a big stronger so better suited for the heavy bags too), the bread stuff is in a green carrier bag, chips/potatoes in an orange one and so on. If you don't use a variety of supermarkets to get a mix of coloured bags, maybe ask friends or relatives to collect some for you.

My chest freezer has one side raised a bit higher than the other, I've got a box that fits on the ledge perfectly and that has all the meat in it. Another box stacked on top for cooked meals, such as tubs of bolognese, chili, etc. (I bulk bought some plastic takeaway containers to store these)

I also keep an inventory, though don't update it like I should, so we just do a recount every once in a while. I do try to make a mealplan once we do an inventory to try to account for everything in there though.

Living_proof

After years of struggling with various chest freezers in the garage I finally came up with the ultimate solution. I left it when I moved and bought an upright Beko for the garage and haven't looked back. I sometimes miss the space but don't actually need it - just can't accommodate all the bargains I come across. And that is A Good Thing!

caitybabes

I do the carrier bag thing too, works a treat. I keep a whiteboard on the freezer (either a piece of paper laminated or just paper shoved in a plastic wallet) and write the inventory on there in dry wipe pen. When something is used up, just wipe it off. When something goes in, write it on.

TravellingAbuela

I have a large upright in which I keep bread, home cooked meals, stocks, soups, fish and meat etc. I also have a chest freezer which is supposed to be for veg and foraged berries and fruit (we pick a mountain in the summer!) But overflow from the upright ends up in there too! I found it a nightmare to keep tidy and what I wanted was always at the bottom! I tried the carrier bag route but that didn't seem to work for me. Currently I am using large plastic boxes, stacked on top of each other. This leaves a gap down the side and that is useful for slotting carrier bags of stuff to transfer to the upright when space permits! So far this method is working for me!

Anoneemoose

Good evening!

My old (well, not so old, but obviously rubbish) freezer died so we have opted for a chest freezer so we can keep it outside. My problem is organisation. My old freezer was an upright with shelves and drawers so I kept certain things in certain compartments.

I just worry that with a chest freezer I will end up 'losing' stuff so wondered how everyone else manages.

Thanks,

Anon

krlyr

You can buy (or have custom made) metal baskets for chest freezers. They're not the cheapest, but will last a while so could be a worthwhile investment.

What I've done with mine is a mix of cardboard boxes and carrier bags. I happened to have a box that fits perfectly on the raised size of the freezer - this stays on there and houses all my plastic takeaway tubs so they don't slide around and get broken. I also know exactly where they are, so when I'm after a bolognese or a pulled pork, I go straight to the box to see if I have any.
I have a smaller box that sits on top of this, which houses my 'various meats' - e.g. packs of sausages, small meat joints, etc., this covers half of the box below it. The other half is where I stack things like packs of mince, multipacks of pork chops, etc.

The other half of the freezer houses everything else. What I find works for me is to categorise by carrierbag - and ideally try to colour code a bit. E.g. large Iceland bag houses all the frozen veg, as it's a nice strong bag too. Stuff I need fairly often goes in a Sainsburys bag because the orange stands out. If I manage to get green bags (Budgens, I think?), I save them for stuff I don't need too often but want to be able to spot at a glance - e.g. the frozen bread. Everything else just goes in miscellaneous bags (mostly Tesco) but groups together - so a bag for the burger buns, hot dog rolls, pitta breads, etc., a bag for chips & potato products, a bag for processed/snacky things like chicken nuggets and mini pizzas.

Our freezer is next to our dining table, so it's easy enough to lift out 2 or 3 bags and pop them on the table whilst I grab out the bag I need. Downside is some things do get a bit buried, but I think you'd get that with any method. Bags are easy enough to lift out and plonk on the floor, I think drawers/baskets would be a bit more faff.