So, I'm cleaning out the freezer today, and I really needed to do it. I also needed to take stock. Too many items get pushed to the back and end up freezer burnt and unusable. What a waste of money. So, I'm try to clean out the freezer more often, rotate the stock like they do at the supermarket, and keep it more organized. This way, I can see what I still have and what I actually need, at a glance. I'll save money by avoiding waste as well as by not overbuying. How often do you clean out the freezer? Any tips to share?
I clean my freezer out 2 times a year and we literally eat out of the freeze and only buy minimal groceries for that month. We just did our freezer clean out last month! Now we stocked it back up with meat sales this month.
When it comes to cleaning the freezer, we actually do it once a month in my house, it really gets full of ice on the walls and you know that's quite bad to have. Once every two months would be okay depending on the freezer's size as well.
I agree that items seem to collect at the back of my freezer. If I don't see the package, then I forget I have it. When I do see the package, it has freezer burn. I know try to think through the frozen veggies I buy to make sure I will use it within several weeks so I will avoid wasting money through freezer burn.
I clear out the freezer regularly as space is tight and I get annoyed if things are used within a couple of months, and more food is added. My parents hoard food which is good, but when there is no room left, you need to eat what you have rather than shove more in as you will never find anything. I like to organize things so it's easy to find what you need and also makes it practical too. I keep things like vegetables and potato products on the sides near the front as they are used more frequently and things like fish are stored on a lower shelf all together.
It makes it so much easier to see what's in there, so you don't buy repeats when you go grocery shopping. Yes, I was raised with a bit of "food hoarding," since my father had the most work during warmer months. During colder months, supplies could become a bit sparse, so holdovers were needed. I like the idea of putting like items together as well, @Theo. I don't always do that, but it's something I'm now going to pay attention to more. I do tend to keep fish and seafood separate from other foods and bag them up tightly, but I could do more. I have been reorganizing my kitchen (for ages), but it's finally starting to pay off. I did the fridge a while back and finally got motivated to do the freezer. Took every single item out, right down to the ice, and sorted. Wiped the whole thing down and started over. Now, to finish doing the deep freeze.
I don't clean out my freezer often enough. I am sure there is good food, bad food and all sorts of food in there. Some of which is good and some of which is not. I need to make it a practice to clean out the fridge instead of letting it sit un attended for months...or even years..Maybe this weekend..?? I need to do some refrigerator cleaning first though.
I don't have to clean out my freezer too often. A couple of times a month. I use it, but it's never stuffed full of frozen foods to the point where I can't get to the back of it, or really don't what's in it. Come to think of it, my freezer and my refrigerator could both use a good cleaning right now, some cleaning and some organizing, especially the refrigerator. Have to put that on my to-do list for the week.
You may not believe that we are not using the freezer anymore to stock up on meat and fish. The only usual contents of our freezer aside from ice is ice cream. As you mentioned burnt food item in the freezer, yeah, you have to throw it away for it may be hazardous to your health. It is all right to go to the market everyday for the meat and fish, that's a fairly good investment (in spending money) for we are assured of the freshness of the food we cook.
I clear out the refrigerator freezer weekly of leftovers that haven't been thought of. The upright freezer when I get tired of all the ice taking up space maybe once every two months. I would probably do it monthly but it's located in the basement and as the saying goes "Out of sight out of mind." It's pretty much organized so there is seldom any food loss there.
I also clear out the refrigerator portion on a fairly regular basis, pretty much weekly or bi-weekly. I was just thinking the other day that it's way past time to pull everything out of the freezer and see what I find. I need to get more organized with regard to the plastic containers I put in there, so I can tell at a glance what is in each container and how long it's been in the freezer. I agree, it would be great to rotate the stock, and I also like the idea of storing like items together. Right now, because of space constraints, things get shoved in wherever they fit. I think I have some ice packs I no longer use taking up room, and I'm about to dump an open pack of waffles that I know is hiding in there, so I'll take that opportunity to go through the rest of the items, too. Now is a good time to do it, since I'll be doing some Fall baking, and then the holidays will be here.
I have a large family, so food stocks don't last much inside the freezer. Therefore, I probably clean out my freezer every week haha. I throw away dated food and I try to scatter them onto soil below bushes and other plants as fertilizer. This applies for vegetables, wheat and grains, rotten meat disposal is a bit tricker, you don't want a disgusting smell and attract meat flies, thus you should either dig up a hole and put it underground or thow it quite far away.
I clean my regular freezer about every other month. I also have 2 deep freezers that get cleaned less often. My only addition to this thread is that freezer burnt doesn't necessarily mean inedible. You can always use that meat in stock or stew, chili or spaghetti sauce. Even tacos. I find that freezer burn usually alters the taste but doesn't mean unsafe to eat, so I just mask the taste with longer cooking and extra flavor.
I plan to buy some baskets or storage containers, to separate items. If I get the freezers really organized then I can just pop out a box or basket to grab what I want, instead of having to dig through stuff. This should also help prevent "lost" food, the stuff that gets pushed to the back or the bottom and doesn't get used up right away. What kind of containers should I get? Does anybody have some tips on good storage containers for use in the freezer (and of course, where to get the best deals on said containers)? I'm going to get everything organized eventually. I'm starting to feel rather.. efficient.
In my house, we are all men living together. Before, when my housemate's girlfriend was around, she took care of keeping the fridge clean. Now, we do it ourselves. There's no fixed schedule. Sometimes, we do it once a week. Sometimes, we do it once a fortnight. My housemate is good at this. What he does is take out all the remaining food and cook them together in one big pot.
