Bottom/Drawer Freezer organization

ra_mom

Tue, Sep 15 2020, 8:44 am

Twinster wrote:

-Fast food like frozen pizza, fries, chicken nuggets, microwave foods etc.
-Breads (pita, bagels, etc.
-Frozen fruits and veggies
-Cookies, cake
-Ices/ice cream
These foods I mostly have a hard time with. It’s not that they don’t fit. They’re just not organized. I like seeing everything, not having bags dumped over each other.

-Pizza - remove bag from box and keep standing up. Works very well.
-Breads - top shelf. I limit what we freeze to what will be used over the next week or two, otherwise it makes everything a mess. I like buying the Stern's whole wheat bread which lasts all week on the shelf. We also keep wraps in the fridge and they last beautifully for a while. Pita works well standing up with the frozen "files".
-Frozen produce - I limit to 3 bags and try to still keep them standing up. Broccoli & cauliflower work if I keep them near the wall, standing up against the rest of the flat frozen foods. Smaller bags like Brussels sprouts and peas&carrots end up on the top drawer.
-Cake - freeze on top shelf in a ziploc. Once frozen, remove from pan. Place cake back in ziploc and store it standing up on bottom drawer.
-Ices - in a bin on the top drawer. Ice cream container on top drawer.

If find that it takes some thoughtfulness when unpacking the food order, but it really works.

ra_mom

Tue, Sep 15 2020, 2:53 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

I can tell you live somewhere with access to all the kosher products you need whenever you need them 😉

There's not much room in a bottom freezer. I have another full freezer downstairs (which isn't convenient so I use it for yomim tovim and big stock).

The bottom freezer is full full, but I try to utilize the space in a way that doesn't hold me back from knowing what's there.

Personally, I keep stacks and stacks of frozen chicken & meat. I season/bread/form, freeze flat and they stack standing up. The flat frozen foot fits perfectly into a 9x13 pan, so I can then just take one out and slide it into the oven for dinner each day.

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Sep 15 2020, 5:48 pm

I also have a bottom drawer freezer but can't get bread products that easily 😉
I keep the frozen cubes of garlic, dill etc between the basket and the frame on top. In mine at least, they fit very well.
And freeze pops fit under the basket in the actual freezer if you have little kids who want to climb and get them. Ok, that's not on purpose, but rather when they fall out... But it's unused freezer space otherwise!

ra_mom

Tue, Sep 15 2020, 5:50 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

Lol our frozen cubes of garlic sit around the frame of the bottom too! Easy access when you open the drawer - always know where to look. ; )

Amarante

Tue, Sep 15 2020, 5:54 pm

I miss my cheap refrigerator with a top freezer because I could always managed to squeeze one more item in. With my expensive French door bottom freezer, the drawers won’t close if stuffed too high.

There isn’t much to organize really because there isn’t enough space to get lost. Thin or not so tall items go in the top two drawers which aren’t very high. Anything in a bulky container gets taken out and stored in freezer bags. But you have to be careful because I don’t think the freezer bags insulate as well as the original containers do.

But my cleaning lady was a magician and I would try to order delivery on day that she came and she would put everything away. Now with COVID-19, I am nit having her and so I have to be very careful not to order too much because it won’t fit. But my neighbors are lucky because I have given away stuff like bulky loaves of bread because I need the space for something more expensive that need# to be frozen. Smile

Today I misjudged My order and a frozen eggplant is in the refrigerator because it will last for a few days while it thaws and I can use before it goes bad.