Chest freezers are big, which means you have probably filled yours with all sorts of things – some of which, let’s be honest here, you can’t actually find! Unlike fridge freezers which have built in compartments, chest freezers are one large space. On the one hand this is an asset, as you can store lots in there but on the other because things can get lost, they become out of date. Once you learn how to organise a chest freezer you will literally change your life. You’ll be able to see exactly what you are storing, so you’ll not only be able to find everything, but you won’t be making repeat buys of the same thing. 

 How to organise a chest freezer

1.Decide what you want to store in your chest freezer.

Clearly, most of us can’t resist special offers, usually of the “buy two get one free” variety, but ask yourself: “do I really need multiple packs of frozen peas?” What is important to you? Is it batch cooking meals for the next month, or is it having a plentiful supply of convenience foods? For most of us, it is probably a mixture of the two, in which case you need to work out just how many you wish to store at one given time.

 2.Where will you keep your chest freezer?

If your chest freezer is situated in the garage or an outbuilding away from the kitchen, you certainly don’t want to spend much time searching for something, especially when it’s cold and dark.  Where you keep it has an impact on how to organise your chest freezer.

 3.Take everything out

How do you know what is in there? Well, the first thing you should do is take everything out do you can work out exactly what you have, what needs using up and what must be junked. Basically, if you’ve had food in there for months the chances are that it will be past its best and could even be harmful to health.

 4.Make an inventory 

This may seem like a faff but in the long run it will save you time and frustration. As you put your frozen items back into your freezer jot down in a notebook or on your phone what is actually there. Once you’ve used something you can cross it off the list. In this way you’ll easily be able to see what needs replenishing and what doesn’t.

 5.Best way to organise a chest freezer

OK. You need to decide which foods are popular with you and your family. For example, you might only cook large cuts of meat for special occasions, in which case, these can be placed at the bottom of your chest freezer. The more popular, i.e. Ice cream (probably) can be placed at or close to the top. Your inventory will be useful as you can use it to map out where everything is. Maybe just by adding a B for bottom M for Middle and T for top against each item, or colour coding foods depending upon where they are in the freezer.

   6.Make a meal plan

That chilli you cooked a couple of months ago definitely needs eating up. What about those pizzas you found at the bottom of your chest freezer? The best way to organise a chest freezer is to make a meal plan. In this way you can keep track of what you have in there are what needs eating up pronto.

 7.Invest in chest freezer baskets

 How to organise chest freezer? One very simple way is to invest in a selection of metal or plastic freezer baskets that will help you to keep track of what is actually in there. Grouping foods into different categories in each basket/container means no more frustrated rummaging. To make things even easier you could choose baskets or containers in different colours so you can easily identify what is in there. Green for vegetables, red for meat etc.

 8.Use dividers

As well as containers you may want to invest in chest dividers so that you are dividing up the space in a more structured way. Professional freezer and pallet rack dividers are probably best but you could also improvise with pieces of plastic from a DIY or craft store.

Why is it important to keep your chest freezer organised?

You know what is in there

 You see it, you buy it and then it gets lost in the freezer, then one day you realise you actually  have 20 margherita pizzas taking up space in there. Sounds familiar? A chest freezer is a fantastic asset but not when you’re packing it with stuff you are never going to eat. If you learn how to organise a chest freezer then this is unlikely to happen. You’ll know when you need to stock up on things and when you don’t.

You can rotate food

Why not take a tip from professional kitchens and label food with the dates of when it needs to be eaten?  You can earmark one container and use it exclusively for food that needs to be eaten within the next week or so. 

How to keep your chest freezer organised in the future

Once your chest freezer is organised you can keep on top of things by updating your inventory and rotating food according to how long it has been in the freezer. If you batch cook dishes, you can label them according to when you plan to eat them. In this way you will not be wasting your time slaving over a hot stove or buying multiples of different items that are already in the freezer. 

If you are a tidy person who likes to know where everything is, then your chest freezer is probably already a model of order and structure but if not we can assure you that if you do take time out to organise your chest freezer you will definitely make your life easier in one small way and that’s got to be good hasn’t it?

And of by chance you are looking for a lovely new freezer, check out the latest ranges on our website at: homefeeling.co.uk