I seem to spend a large portion of my life keeping track of food.
How much food is in the fridge? How is the food doing in the garden? Is there food in the pantry? Writing missing food down on lists. Keeping track of where that food list is in the house. What will I make for food today? When's the last time I pooped out my food?
It's time consuming. So a few days ago I figured I should do something, anything, to cut down on the amount of time I spend keeping track of food.
I did that, by ... keeping track of food.
Whenever I make meals, I often have food leftover. A lot of people with only one or two people in the household see this as a problem. They think this is one of the downfalls of cooking for one. The fact that one person can't eat a whole pan of lasagna.
Those people are stupid.
First of all, one person can totally eat a whole pan of lasagna, and the fact that you think you can't really means you think you shouldn't which proves you are a person of superior willpower. Good for you.
Second of all, a whole pan of lasagna never needs to be wasted, it needs to be frozen!
Cooking for one or two is the best thing EVER because you almost always have leftovers. And if you have even just 3 or 4 braincells remaining after a day at work you should have the mental capacity to remember to freeze the leftovers.
My one piece of advice with freezing leftovers? Do it RIGHT AWAY. Do not stick the leftovers back in the fridge, click your heels and walk away thinking "I'll take care of those tomorrow". Because you won't. They will get pushed further and further back into the abyss of the refrigerator until one day, 7 years from now you'll look behind that jar of sweet pickles to discover something that's now fur covered and has almost mastered the basics of language.
So the freezing of leftovers I've had down pat for a while. I even threw them into the same general area of the freezer so I knew where to root around if I didn't feel like making dinner.
But my method seemed inefficient. I know this because I found a container of frozen pizza sauce dated 2001 last week. (that's another tip, write the date you packaged the item with a Sharpie on your Foodsaver bag, freezer bag, mason jar or tupperware container)
So, even though it was a pajama day, I threw on my shoes and ran to the Dollar Store to pick up some containers for organizing. I pretty much blended into the rest of the Dollar Store shoppers pajama outfits.
This is what I ended up with.
In the main portion of my freezer (I have a small upright freezer in my mudroom, but this method can be used with any regular refrigerator freezer) I labelled bins for the various meats I keep on hand. Steaks, Ground beef, Chicken, Roasts.
For the freezer door I bought small plastic bins and put them in the door shelves. I have no idea what idiot thinks these door shelves should be designed like an enormous hole with a single inch wide bar holding everything in place, but as I said ... those people are idiots. Unless you have a large carton, things inevitably slip out and crash onto the floor.
The small plastic bins in the doors stops smaller things from plummeting to the earth. These door bins are reserved for seafood, pizza dough/pie dough, frozen rhubarb and a few other things.
And finally, the best part ever. I bought 3 bins specifically for leftovers or foods that I've premade. Like that famous leftover lasagna, or premade hamburger patties, or frozen pesto.
On each bin I've attached a note that says what's in that specific bin and how much. When I take something out and scarf it down, I cross it off the list. When I add something new to the bin (like I did yesterday with Curried Cauliflower Soup) I write it on the list.
Not only are my leftovers easy to find, I know at all times exactly what I have in there.
I don't mean to brag but I feel like a better person than everyone else now. I walk among the rest of you with the knowledge I am ... s l i g h t l y ... better. And with a few bins, a pen and a piece of paper you can be better too.
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Carey
Ok, so let me get this straight. You've already baked all your holiday cookies, written and sent your Christmas cards, wrapped and placed all your presents under the tree, made Christmas tree blinking mason jar thingys, donated your left arm to your favorite charity, and built a replica of the Taj Mahal in your front yard, but you still have the time and energy to organize your freezer?! Quit it. Just QUIT it! (I'm only a teeny bit jealous)
Call Me Patty
You ARE superior Karen. I am in awe. I've been in the kitchen for over 40 years, and never thought of organizing the freezer in that way. You rule!
Sera
You're a genius Karen! I'm just trying to figure out if I can get this done before thanksgiving with all the other stuff I have to do. We don't have a freezer but we do have two refrigerators. Part of me loves my counter depth French door fridge and part of me hates that I can't get much in it and the freezer is a drawer aka bottomless pit of frozen something.
Since you're on the subject of freezers, can you explain how to prevent freezer burn and a bit about what can and should not be frozen? Is that where the food saver comes in?
Also, I didn't know pizza dough could be frozen - recipe? And how long to defrost it?
Karen
Phew. You're fulla questions today aren't you, lol. Freezer burn? Buy and use a Foodsaver. Works GREAT. Here's a post I did a few years ago on 5 unusual things you can freeze. If you type the word "freeze" into my search bar a bunch of freezing posts come up (mixed in with a bunch of other posts that have nothing to do with freezing, lol) Things like tomato paste, roasted tomatoes, gnocchi, swiss chard from the garden etc. etc. Here's the pizza dough recipe I posted a while ago. I just make a double batch or more, roll it into balls and freeze it so I can just pop one or two out when I wanna make pizza. Defrosts in a few hours on the counter, but if you're a microwave master you can defrost it in that in a few minutes. I also freeze my pizza sauce. ~ karen!
Feral Turtle
Pure Genius!!!!
tara
A tray of lasagne never lasts more than a day around me. Cold lasagne is the perfect breakfast food!
Kristin
Wow. My freezers both scare me a little. Every time I open the door of the kitchen freezer, something falls out. And if it is something in a plastic deli cup or Gladware-type container, it inevitably breaks. Unfortunately, that freezer is the side-by-side kind, and kind of tall and narrow. Hard to organize. It is filled with broccoli soup, flax seed meal, shrimp, semolina for pizza-sliding, year-old ice cream dregs, frozen berries for my step-son's smoothies, and many containers of chicken stock. My garage freezer is the classic fridge-freezer with the freezer on top. It is packed with meatballs, chicken stock, various pizza toppings, and other, more mysterious items I haven't seen in a while. No idea what they are. I do really need to clean up my act. And give away some of my chicken stock.
Leslie
Impressive!!!!! Please tell me how the plastic does in the freezer. Did you have to buy a special kind?
(know what's in my freezer? 40 lb turkeys! not room for much else ...)
Karen
LOL! Those are BIG turkeys! I just use regular tupperware type containers. The only trick is to wait until they've warmed up before you take the lids off, otherwise they have a tendency to crack. They just need to be left on the counter for a couple of minutes. ~ karen!
Leslie
You just identified my problem ... I don't let the plastic warm up before I try to open it.
Big turkeys ... it's a problem.
Lin
Great system with the baskets! Sadly my freezer two freezer drawers at the bottom of the fridge so your system won't work cuz one wouldn't see the basket labels. Got any ideas for organizing this type of freezer? Currently I throw stuff in where there's room so it's fairly well disorganized!
Marion
Can I just leave work and go organize my freezer now? I mean, you are practically telling me to, so I shouldn't have to take PTO. This idea is GENIUS!!!
Erin
Lovely organizing. I too feel like I spend a large part of my life/brain keeping track of food. Pantries, root cellar, refrigerator, freezers all seem full and yet we still go to the grocery store and buy more food! You've inspired me to take a few minutes to excavate in the chest freezer and list what's in there. Then make some meal plans. (Maybe I'll even come across some leftovers for supper.) Thanks for sharing!
Arlene
My Mom, of course named Betty, kept two large chest freezers meticulously organized and labelled until she died three years ago at age 82. That's why my 86-year-old Dad could eat farm-picked gooseberries marked "1968" this year, 2013. "Fresh as the day she picked them," was his loving comment. (He always has been known for his stomach of steel.) Imagine what my Betty could have done with a Dollarama in the nearest town. Kudos to you, Karen, and thanks for bringing back great memories...
Sally A.
Can someone recommend a food saver brand? Or is it that FoodSaver is the brand? I also am reminded that I need a new freezer. My refrigerator freezer is so narrow that I can't lay a frozen pizza in it flat. So after the Blue Star stove, I will get a Costco freezer. I'm finding it very pricey to read your blog. :) Seriously though, thank you for your great helpful hints! OMG you should totally write a book with all of your hints in it like Hints From Heloise but better!
Karen
No problem Sally A. That's what I'm here for. In return I ask you to tell all your friends and family about my site. :) If you tell strangers you get extra points, lol. Foodsaver is an actual brand. There are other food sealers but that's the one I use. My recommendation is to buy a Foodsaver and buy the smallest one they have! Takes up less storage space. ~ karen!
kelli
REALLY? My freezer is one of those cheap-ass top/upper models attached to a cheap-ass bottom-of-the-barrel model fridge...i constantly fight freezer burn, a slow/noisy ice machine (that is, when it's not overflowing), and never have enough space for what I want to put in it. Ah, the joys of apartment living... :(
Laura
"Elementary, my dear Watson!" Is it 'odd' that I am frantically calculating in my mind when I can get to the $ store, ASAP??-like it's a matter of near life or near death?!
Donna
Ok, gonna head over to my Mom's house to do this. She lives alone but still buys like all 5 kids still live at home. We sneak old stuff out of her freezer each time we visit. I think she has frozen meat that's older than her grand kids in there!
Maybe if it's organized she'll realize she doesn't have to buy more. Yeah, right.
Deb J
Great idea and very tidy freezer. Unfortunately, in my experience, this only really works if you are either the ONLY one to EVER go in the freezer or, like my sister, you are married to someone even more anal than you are. My husband is notorious for packaging things up (he has one of those vacu-sucker machines that take all the air out - good but ....) and then not labeling them. 'I'll know what it is'. Riiiight. Once they are frozen into a plastic block, pretty much everything looks the same. Then he doesn't want to thaw it out 'cos he doesn't know what it is. Needless to say, my freezer does not look like yours:(
Kitten Caboodle
Karen,
Have you ever considered a FoodSaver? You really need a FoodSaver. It is my second favorite appliance, behind TiVo, in terms of being a life-changer. I've had mine (the same one!) for over 10 years - it won't die. It's perfect for people who cook for only 1 or 2 or like to cook in big batches. It keeps leftovers fresh forever and saves space since it sucks all of the air out of the bags. It's also perfect if you buy meat at the warehouse stores - just break it down into meal-size portions. Soft or liquid items need to be frozen first but I just use those cheap Gladware bowls for portions - pop them out when frozen and freeze them in the bags/rolls and they will keep forever. You can use it in other ways too: I reseal potato chip bags with the heat sealer (got your attention there, didn't I?). I made small bags from the rolls and sealed up a bunch of beads. I sealed scented candles I was shipping so that the other items in the box didn't smell like lavender upon arrival - you can't ask that of a Ziploc bag. So many uses! Like I said, it's a life-changer.
Karen
I've had a foodsaver for a bout a decade now. :) Love it. ~ karen!
JebberJay
In 2005, my mom had a tin of condensed milk that exploded in the cupboard, blasting the door open and covering the ceiling and kitchen with green slime. The best before date was 1981. Sigh...
Lori Hall
Doing this soon. I hate the freezer door compartments!!!
Erika
That looks so great! I wish I had room for an upright, but I just have my small chest freezer tucked under the stairs in the pantry. I keep a list of items in there on a clip on my fridge, though, and usually remeber to check things off. But I seldom have leftovers for long enough for them to become semi-sentient, because whatever I don't eat for dinner I have for lunch the next day, or two, depending on how much is left (spaghetti sauce is the one exception - that is bagged and labeled). But I'm OCD like that.