When I first started reading blogs, [nearly fifteen years ago] I remember one of the "home management" bloggers used to talk about "conquering the Great White Whale". It was her expression for organising her fridge/freezer.
I'm always amazed by the huge fridges portrayed in American films and TV shows. I babysat for somebody once who had such a fridge - taller than me, floor to ceiling fridge one side and freezer the other. I couldn't imagine why a couple with just one small baby needed so much food!
I have come to understand that if you are not careful, this domestic appliance can become a monster, and sometimes important items get swallowed up inside. Or things get lost and forgotten about till they cannot be used.
I now have a fridge freezer in the futility room [2018], a small fridge in the kitchen [2009] and a very old small freezer in the old garage [1984!]
These are useful, I can keep fresh food in good condition, ensure I have things in reserve in the freezer, and I know that if I cannot get to the shops, or have unexpected visitors, then I am still able to produce plenty of good food.
Things I like to keep in the freezer
- a bag of chicken nuggets [emergency meal for Rosie]
- a bag of M&S frozen, ready to bake, croissants. I think these are the best ones for the freezer, buttery flaky pastry, and the right size [one is enough - with some of the cheaper smaller supermarket brands, one is not enough, and two too much]
- frozen peas
- a pack of mince
- a pack of sausages.
- some frozen stewed fruit [foraged fruits or berries, or fruit from our own trees]
- one pint semi skimmed milk [it thaws quickly if I accidentally run out of fresh]
- homemade stock
- a 'flexible' ice pack for minor injuries.
Things I like to keep on the freezer
- a list of contents
- a picture of the grandchildren or their recent artwork
- our church 'Bible Verse for the Year" [Jeremiah 29;12 in 2022]
- details of our heating engineer/boiler guy
- a few phrases made with my magnetic letters [see below]
Freezer Management Top Tips
- label things clearly with contents and date [Lakeland labels on a roll are inexpensive and they stay stuck - I write with sharpies]
- decant bags of peas/sweetcorn/berries into plastic boxes. Otherwise there will always be a forgotten pea or blueberry lurking at the bottom of the drawer.
- try to keep contents sorted- veg in one drawer, meat in another.
- try to repair or refurb before you replace. A freezer will last years- but sadly fittings often crack or split. After 30+ years, one of my freezer drawers has been replaced by a wire basket, another has its plastic front held in place by cable ties. Espares[here] is a good source of replacement parts for kitchen appliances. Usually that is much cheaper than replacing the whole thing.
What are your freezer standby? any other tips?
Happy New Year Look Again!
I think the idea of a box for peas is awesome. I shall definitely adopt it. My standby, as well as the stuff above, is frozen chopped onion. It doesn't need defrosting and I can use just as much or as little as I need without waste. It doesn't go off either. Thank you for sharing the Bible verse.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year. I like the onion tip, thanks!
DeleteSome really good tips there, Angela. I've not tried the M & S croissants and I do find that supermarket ones are usually too small. Maybe we can treat ourselves next month.
ReplyDeleteThey work well for us - not too big, not too small, just right (Goldilocks croissants?)
DeleteI've often wondered if I should decant shop-bought fruits and veggies into boxes. I might give it a try this year once I get the freezer drawers a bit emptier.
ReplyDeleteI always think you expand to fill your space and that goes for fridges and freezers too. Although our tiny fridge at the flat was too small, the large fridge freezer AND chest freezer back in Wales proved to hold far too much food for just two people. I think we both have it just right with our Smegs now.
Is the Jeremiah quote about God talking to the people, or am I remembering wrong?
I think putting stuff in boxes helps fit things in neatly, bags tend to flop about and leak! The text is "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." So yes, it is about conversation with God!!
DeleteI keep much the same as you with the addition of some frozen onion and some bread. I prefer to batch cook as I live alone, so I usually have plenty of portions of home cooked meals ready for those days when I don't feel like cooking.
ReplyDeleteI always had half a sliced loaf until recently when we went Low Carb. Home cooked single portions are always good!
DeleteWe are much better at fridge and freezer management than we used to be, mainly because we now have the time and motivation to keep on top of it. There are far fewer UFO's (unidentified frozen objects) than there used to be when we were working!
ReplyDeleteWhile in France we discovered Picard frozen croissants, things of beauty and very close to the fresh items from our local boulangerie. To our total joy we then found that Ocado have a selection of Picard frozen items including the croissants. A real treat!
I dont use Ocado, but will look out for Picard elsewhere
DeleteAre they made by Jean-Luc himself? If so, we shall have to boldly go and find some!
DeleteSadly, no! Raymond Picard according to Wikipedia!
Deletehttps://www.ocado.com/products/picard-croissants-frozen-494532011?ds_rl=1291426&ds_rl=1291540&ds_rl=1126321&gclid=eaiaiqobchmim8n6oukc9qivwevtch3ibglheaqyayabeglp_vd_bwe&gclsrc=aw.ds
I've seen some pretty huge fridges and ours is reasonably big compared to our parents' ones a few years ago in the UK. We live out of town and having a freezer in the basement is useful, plus an extra, ancient fridge that is handy for overflow like soft drinks and prepped food at Christmas. When we lived in a small European apartment we had one "toy" fridge but there were 6 supermarkets within walking distance!
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried putting frozen items in boxes but my MIL did. I buy a lot of frozen fruit and veggies in winter as we are on the end of the distribution line and I think a lot of items just travel too far to be fresh in the store, especially berries. Also I don't have to worry about using them up all at once, so we can have more variety with just two of us.
ReplyDeleteWe do get power outages but we have a generator to keep the fridge and freezer running. I know that baked goods can be safely refrozen but not meat, etc. So I keep a small coin on top of an old mug full of ice in the freezer. If that coin sinks in while we are away for a weekend, I know that meat has thawed and refrozen and must be discarded. So far that hasn't happened, though.
The coin-in-the-mug trick is brilliant!
DeleteBrilliant idea! I shall use it for when we go away.
DeleteI'm sure it would be very useful in your situation. What's the French word for power cut?
DeleteI have one of those side by side fridge freezers. But, no additional fridge or freezer in the garage, There is only one small pull out drawer in the freezer, all the others are racks that don't pull out. I try to keep the freezer organized, but, too often, things just end up being pushed to the back!
ReplyDeleteMy little freezer in the garage has two drawers and a rack. I found a wire basket which fits that rack perfectly, so I can pull out all the contents easily. That way I do not lose stuff at the back.
DeleteCan I recommend Asda's frozen croissants? They are the best I've found - M&S is out of the way and a bit dear for me!
ReplyDeleteWe do not have an Asda nearby, but I will try and check out the Norwich one sometime. Thanks Mags
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