I have a chest freezer and nothing goes to waste. We use everything!!
I (kind of) have a system. Newest items on the bottom. Left side is red meats (hamburger, steak, beef liver etc.), Pork in the center and chicken on the right. Frozen vegetables, fish and leftovers towards the top. Everything is labeled and dated.
If nothing is on sale, I’ll dig the freezer and meal plan accordingly.
Leftovers are utilized for Football days. I’ll reheat leftovers in the convection oven, start them during a commercial break before the 2:00 minute warning and serve at halftime (this usually works pretty good - timing wise).
As far as defrosting the chest freezer, I picked up a second used freezer at Goodwill for $20. It is UGLY, scratched and dented, but it works great and I gave it a real good cleaning. I keep it “unplugged” in the garage. When its time to defrost my chest freezer, I plug in the UGLY freezer, let it reach the proper temperature and move all of the food. Then unplug the chest freezer and let it defrost, clean it up, cool it down and move the food back.
I was talked into buying the type of freezer that has to be defrosted. Apparently it keeps things colder than a frost free freezer.
It’s a pain to defrost. I wish I had just gotten the frost free version. The frost builds up within 6 months of defrosting. I typically wait to defrost on a day where we have lots of snow outside, so I can put everything outside, but I don’t get around to doing it more than every 18 months - 2 years.
The hair dryer and spatula method was surprisingly fast and easy, 15 mins, but it’s not a huge freezer. Nice trick to use snow and winter. I used an ice chest and crammed the frig freezer. The thing is, most of the stuff was so cold 15-20 minutes outside isn’t a big deal.
Upstairs fridge/freezer, garage fridge/freezer, and garage chest freezer.
Excel spreadsheet to note quantities and items in downstairs and upstairs freezers (garage freezers are combined on the list; I know where I put things in each).
Do I forget about things? At times.
Do I add things when I really don’t need to buy them because I already have enough of that item in there? Absolutely.
But yes, I do eat through what’s in my freezers. I look at the list, think about what I’ve recently eaten to avoid frequent duplication for dinner OR think about what I’m craving, and pull it out to defrost, mostly for the next night, but sometimes for work lunch (soups, lasagna, etc.) Shopping my freezer just takes some forethought.
My dear mother was also a bread hoarder, but unfortunately for everyone, was never much of a bread eater. Late in life, she made trips to a local bakery “outlet” and would top up her multiple chest freezers with day-old loaves. They never seemed to come back out, and she refused to process them for the birds. I had a lot to dispose of.
Funny story… After my father’s death, I flew back home and attempted to help my mother begin the clean out of the garage, attic, basement, etc. We got through about half of his “collection”. I still need to fly back and complete the job… one day.
Upon climbing into the attic, I found the original kitchen sink. During my youth, my father re-did the kitchen for my mother. Neither of us knew he had squirreled away the original kitchen sink.
It appears he saved everything, including the kitchen sink!! (LOL)
My parent were Depression Babies, and rarely threw anything out. When my grandmother passed in 1968, her entire household (which she inherited in its entirety from her parents, circa 1930) was moved into one of our large barns. That collection accreted my folks’ stuff. I ended up having a mega auction, which included a lot of culinary stuff. Did you know that early car license plates were made of leather?
Yes… I learned that during an episode of “American Pickers”.
I really wanted to finish the clean out (before I had to leave), but my mother just got too tired of making decisions. The whole process was quite taxing on her.
A few months later she admitted she should have let me throw it all away. She thought she had a buyer for some of my Dad’s hoard, but the guy flaked and never showed up.
We gave away our garage fridge/freezer and chest high freezer awhile back. You don’t mention what kind of freezer you currently have. That makes a big difference when it comes to organization. Hard to organize in a chest high. Everything keeps going to the bottom Eventually . My parents invested in wide upright freezer in the cellar and it was a joy to peek in twice a year. Shelving and everything in its place.
Job well done – it’s comforting to hear your stories. When my Dad passed earlier this year, cleaning his freezer fell to me. The contents were made up of discount freezer meals (which he bought but never ate), and homemade meals from me, inspired by dishes he loved as a youth or young man living with my mother. He was 97 when he passed. At the end, he simply couldn’t muster.
Extreme old age is not pretty nor easy in modern society. I miss him.
when i freeze lemon zest, i spread it in a single layer on a plate, or if there’s a lot, on a quarter sheet pan with parchment. in a single layer it doesn’t freeze solid; i transfer it to a small jar and scoop out a teaspoon at a time.
i just finished clearly out my smallish freezer in anticipation of the 4+ quarts of turkey stock i’ll be making the day after thanksgiving (i get to take the carcass).
roasted 2 bags of cauliflower gnocchi that had been in there for who knows how long with brussels sprouts and sausage. made soup with a bag of broccoli.
Yeah, when I freeze lemon zest, I use an ice cube tray and fill them only about halfway, so maybe a tablespoon of zest per section. I have no idea what Mrs. ricepad was thinking.
Holy cow, my mother did the same thing. Make a stop at the Oroweat day old store, pick up 20 loaves of Roman Meal whole grain bread and stick them in the garage freezer. Lots of Roman Meal PBJ sandwiches for school lunch. Baloney was a bit better but that bread wasn’t pleasant. To this day I can’t stand Roman Meal bread.
As for that the freezer in the garage, it was bought in the 70s (neighbor worked at Sears, so got the discount) and only died a couple of years ago. It was a huge Sears stand up model…and replacement parts were available until 2 years ago. My brother kept fixing it, even the compressor. My bro replaced it was chest freezer…that I think cost about the same, 50 years apart. My mom is also a depression era kid, still going at 95.
i’ve been juicing and zesting the 2 pound bag of seedless lemons i get at trader joe’s. i keep some of the juice in the fridge, then freeze the rest, along with the zest. that way, i always have some on hand.
Thank you everyone for replying to my post .
I have horrible freezer management and a little bit of fridge .
Yes , I am a food hoarder . Stuffing the freezer not thinking about it .
Yesterday I started labeling dates .
Thanks. Cooking what I froze sooner than later. A goal.
Don’t feel bad… I’ve increased my food hoarding since the pandemic (especially if the item is on deep sale or clearance). I also have 300+ rolls of toilet paper stashed in various parts of the house, as we almost ran out during the pandemic.
For me… I feel good knowing there is food in the freezer (and pantry). If we run out of money at the end of the month, we won’t starve. I might have to repeat a few meals (mainly chicken/rice/bean/pasta type meals), but we won’t go to bed hungry.
There have definitely been some weeks where I’ve had to dig into the freezer as nothing was on sale or clearance.
