Kitchen Tip- Stocking an Organized Freezer
I find that having a well stocked freezer is essential to my sanity. It allows me to buy meat when it is on sale, avoids having to go to the grocery store multiple times a week, and is a great quick way to store summer produce and healthy snacks for the kids. However, a freezer that is unorganized usually results in mystery frozen bags and wasted food that has suffered from too much freezer burn.
In order to avoid this I make it a point to label everything that enters my freezer. In order to be useful, labelling needs to include (1) a description of the item, (2) the date it is frozen, and (3) if possible, the weight or quantity of the item.
As soon as I purchase meat I know I will not be using in the next few days, I weigh it, place it in a ziplock bag, and label it with the type, weight and date. I find it helpful to portion ground meat in 1 pound increments, 2 chicken breasts or 5-6 thighs per bag, and 2 steaks per bag.
For vegetables, fruit and finger foods for the kids, I use the flash-freeze method. Place the items in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place uncovered in the freezer for approximately 30 min to 1 hour. Once frozen, I pour the items into a labelled ziplock bag.
For liquid ingredients such as pesto or baby food, I freeze the items in ice cube trays until fully frozen. Once frozen I crack the ice cube trays and place all of the cubes in a labelled ziplock bag.
While this may require more prep work at the outset it saves time, stress and money and turns your freezer into a useful storage system!