I very recently prioritised organizing a chest freezer which I keep in my shed. I had wanted buy one for ages but had not considered how much of a dumping ground a small chest freezer can be if it is not organized properly. This project was done on a budget.
Let me tell you about the best ways to organize a chest freezer.
Organizing a small chest freezer on a budget is a task that needs some attention. Here is how I recently organised my small chest freezer after several months of avoiding it.
Taking and keeping inventory of your small chest freezer is the cornerstone of efficient small freezer organisation.Once you have carried out an inventory, commit to only buying the foods that you will actually use. A white board above the freezer to record your inventory will ensure you keep your small chest freezer organized and efficient.
Digging through piles of food is something we want to avoid with our chest freezers. Good freezer organisation will save you money and time. You can avoid food wasted food because you will be able to see and access all of the freezer food you have.
Decide what type of sections you need according to what you found by taking inventory.
Next measure your chest freezer cavity by height, width and length. Once you know these dimensions, get some bins that could be used as storage in your freezer. NOTE: hard plastic may shatter in the freezer!
Next find your freezer serial number, which is often found on the back of the appliance. Order baskets on Amazon making sure that you are using the correct serial number.
Related Post-13 Vegetables You Can Freeze And How To Prepare Them.
1.Divide A Small Chest Freezer On A Budget
It can be difficult to pick up freezer dividers on a budget for a small chest freezer. Those items can be expensive! I decided to improvise and use things I had at home along with a few new bargain items that I picked up in discount stores.
The grey bin came from a homeware store and I already had one at home. I used the the two bins and the chopping board shown below to divide the bottom of the freezer. In the photo above you can see how I divided the bottom of my freezer. The bin was super cheap as was the chopping board. Use softer plastic in your freezer as hard plastic can shatter at high temperatures.
I ordered a basket online to suit my freezer. If you look on the back of your freezer you should find a serial number. If you search that in a parts website such as e-Spares or Amazon you can buy more baskets for your freezer.
My freezer came with one basket so I bought one more for this project. While these ‘official manufacturer parts’ can be a bit of a pricy option, when paired with cheaper items like the bins and the chopping board, the whole project was fairly affordable.
So when finding dividers for a small chest freezer, think outside the box and improvise to keep that budget in check.
2.Storing Freezer Food On A Budget
A small chest freeze can quickly become a mess. Digging through half used bags of vegetables is no fun. Here are the items I use to store food efficiently in my small chest freezer.
IKEA food clips
I cannot overestimate how useful these clips are in keeping food fresh in the freezer. My major bugbear is finding peas and sweetcorn all over the bottom of my freezer. These clips are magic for keeping your small chest freezer tidy. They help to avoid freezer burn in opened bags of frozen products.
Ziplock bags
I wash my zip lock bags over and over and I do not use them for raw meat. They are an extremely efficient way to store food in a small chest freezer. Space is limited so to be able to stack bags of sauce or pancakes on top of each other is a fantastic way to organise your small chest freezer. Reusable silicone zip lock bags are also available which of course would be a more sustainable option.
Pyrex Cook and Go
Pyrex Cook & Go have been on my list since last year. In 2020 everything stopped and so did my freezer plans. This May however, I caught up on my of those things that got put off in 2020 and I was very lucky to get these freezer to oven containers at half price. I know that offer is over now but honestly, they are worth it at full price.
Pyrex speaks for itself and I’m sure I don’t have to convince any reader of that. The beauty of these containers is their extremely robust lid. The lid keeps the food completely air tight, protecting the food in the fridge or in the freezer. I love that I don’t have to use aluminium foil or plastic wrapping to store my freezer food either.
Reused takeaway food containers/ice cream tubs/glass jars.
I reuse plastic containers and jars that come into the house from takeaway food and grocery items. I find that ice cream tubs,chinese food trays and jars with metal lids are excellent for storing food in the freezer. They are compact and stackable. Of course, there is the added bonus that they are effectively free organisers for your small chest freezer.
The most expensive items are not always the best for storing food in a small chest freezer but sometimes a little investment in some quality items is well worth the cost. See inside my freezer when I recently cleared it out!
3.Do Not Overfill A Small Chest Freezer
It is possible to overfill your small chest freezer, so organizing it is going to save you money in the long run. Over filling a chest freezer according to Good Housekeeping means that air will not circulate in the freezer properly. The fans won’t have enough space to operate properly and food could spoil as a result.
Over filling puts your machine under pressure which will shorten its life. Overfilling your chest freezer puts your food at risk of not freezing properly and that can lead to sickness and food waste.
The article about freezer mistakes from Good Housekeeping is interesting and you may find it helpful.
4.List Of Essential Foods To Keep In Your Freezer To Maximize The Small Space.
With a small chest freezer you need to be strategic with what you keep in it. You really do not have much space to spare. So going back to the inventory you took, see what foods on that list that you rely on most often. I like to keep the following foods on hand at all times in my freezer to get me out of a pinch on a busy day.
- Bread.
- Milk.
- Vegetables.
- Ice cream and brownies.
- Complete freezer dinners.
- Homemade pizza dough.
- Grated cheese.
- Homemade tomatoes sauce.
- Sliced/shredded cooked meat.
- Butter.
- Sausage rolls.
- Breaded fish.
- Frozen potato products.
- Homemade soup
I can make several meals from all of these products along with a few basic store cupboard ingredients. Not only does this save me time by not having to run out last minute and buy extra groceries, it also saves me money. From the ingredients above, I am never stuck for any meal. I prioritise foods like this to make the best use of my chest freezer.
