5 must-try freezer organisation tips
Sometimes life gets busy, and things get disorganised. You get home from grocery shopping and toss things into the freezer, only for them to be forgotten. Then, two years later, you discover a batch of chicken tenders under a container of pasta sauce. Or wait... maybe those are fish fingers... Anyway, you'll never experience that again with these five simple tips to master organising your freezer!
Keep bags organised by using clips to hang them from the freezer racks
Bags of frozen fruit and veggies are slippery and uneven, making them hard to stack. This clever trick using binder clips or pegs to seal them and hang them from shelves keeps them in place and frees up space below.
Save space by freezing things flat
Foods like soups, stews, curries, sauces, and egg whites can easily go in a zip-lock bag to freeze flat. Flattened bags with the air squeezed out takes up far less space than hard containers. Use reusable zip-lock bags for sustainability. Meats such as steaks and chicken pieces often come from the supermarket in trays that take up lots of extra space. Repack them into zip-lock bags and freeze in a flat layer. You can also add in marinade so once it’s defrosted, you have delicious marinated steak or chicken ready to go!
Note: Avoid using high acidity marinades with lots of vinegar or lemon juice if freezing, as they will break down the meat protein over time.
Stay organised by using labels
It’s a simple tip, but labelling and dating the food in your freezer can go a long way. It can be hard to identify a soups, stews, curries etc. when frozen, so labelling will make your life easier. You'll also know what needs to be eaten first.
List it out
Tick off a checklist on the outside of the freezer as you go. This will save you from freezing your fingers off trying to find food that has already been eaten, and can also help you organise your shopping list.
Optimise freezer space by throwing away the boxes
Boxes are bulky and take up a lot of precious space. Pop the bag of food into the freezer and toss the box (into the recycling, of course). Just don’t forget to save the cooking instructions!
Put these tips into practice and you'll be amazed at how spacious and uncluttered your freezer can be! Now you have extra space in there, why not give some of the freezer-friendly recipes below a go?
GET THE RECIPE: One-pan Butter Chicken with Cauliflower
The chicken, cauliflower and rice in this delicious dish will freeze well. If you like, cut the chicken smaller so it will freeze flatter in a bag.
GET THE RECIPE: Korma Chicken Meatballs in Lettuce Cups
Freeze the chicken meatballs and prepare the lettuce cups fresh to serve. The rice can be cooked and frozen, with fresh vegetables and herbs stirred through before serving.
GET THE RECIPE: Basic Bolognese Sauce
Bolognese is a great base for plenty of recipes, and perfect for freezing flat.
