Since we’re all in lockdown, now is the best time to get your freezer in order. In our opinion, organising a freezer is an intricate balance of science and art, with some good sense and nifty Tetris skills thrown in for good measure.
Use these handy tips to help you achieve a well-ordered freezer. They include ways to avoid freezer burn and prevent food from being lost in the icy depths, never to be seen or heard from again.
SEE ALSO: How To Do Your Grocery Shopping Safely During Lockdown
How to steer clear of freezer burn:
Your freezer needs to be cold enough
Your freezer needs to maintain an optimal temperature of -17°C or lower. If its temperature is inconsistent, your food will thaw and refreeze. This promotes freezer burn, which happens when ice crystals travel to the surface and food becomes dehydrated. A cold freezer will freeze food in a short time. Also make sure the freezer’s door seals properly.
Open your freezer only when necessary
This means you shouldn’t stare into it, waiting for dinner inspiration to hit. Exposing frozen food to air is another common cause of freezer burn. Freeze things in serving-size portions in airtight containers. Freezer bags and containers will become your best friends – just make sure their edges are dry to ensure a tight seal.
How to achieve optimal organisation:
Know what you have
And we mean everything. How many times have you gone to take something out of the freezer expecting it to be one thing, when in fact you’ve placed that leftover lamb stew in the chocolate ice cream tub? Consider keeping an inventory of everything inside your freezer. A great idea is to keep it in a note-taking app on your phone. This will also help when doing grocery shopping, because you’ll know exactly what you still have and what can still be used.
Label, label, label
This is especially important for those items that aren’t in their original packaging. Write down what’s inside and the date you froze it; you can even add notes on reheating it. This will be super helpful for your family when they go digging through the freezer.
SEE ALSO: Cut Back On Food Waste: 5 Easy Tips
Become a master of packing your freezer
The main thing to avoid is cramming random bags and containers of food into every free space you can find. Divide your freezer into sections and store like with like – have a shelf for veggies, meat, fruit, leftovers, etc. Everything should have its space. And consider consolidating some items together; for example, if you have four half-bags of frozen corn, put them all into freezer-safe container.
Check out this video from Jamie Oliver on using a organised freezer to avoid food waste:
Here are some our favourite freezer accessories:
Posted by Progressive International on Monday, December 16, 2019
These freezer pods are available at Yuppiechef
ALSO SEE: 21 Small Businesses You Can Support During Lockdown
By Features Writer Andrea Cresswell
