A Tragic Tale Of Woe. . .

 . . .Or what I learned after defrosting my freezer

I had a relatively small issue with my freezer that became a larger issue because of the excessive frost that built up. After defrosting it and soaking up what would have been a small lake if I had not continually thrown towels on the floor to keep the water from spreading, I thought I would share some observations I made, that might help me be a little better freezer owner.

On the positive side, I caught the first accident before any of the food was rotten. That would have been so much worse.

1. Always keep a freezer inventory.

   It is too easy to buy something for the freezer, put it in then move what was already there to         the deepest recesses of the freezer shelf, where it becomes forgotten.  Now I have a dedicated food storage notebook, so I can see what I have to play with each week when I plan potential meals. And because I am me, and chronically scatterbrained, my notebook has a pen attached to it so I can write new additions as well as cross out things I used.

2. You can have too much of a good thing 

    I cite 12 cryovac  tuna steaks as an example

3. Individual servings of soups/stews/casseroles are a good thing

    Today I am enjoying a bowl of the old Scarsdale diet cabbage soup I didn't remember I had (see #1)

4. Individual servings of soups/ stews etc. should be packed flat in freezer bags

    Those little individual freezer containers take up too much space. Flat bags stack.

5. Label everything not in the original packaging

    That one serving of chili, looks just like the one serving of spaghetti sauce and if the wrong     one is used in a tamale pie, dinner can become very interesting. Trust the label rather than your memory.

6. Whether you have a chest or upright freezer, organize it by food types.

     I have plastic baskets on the shelves. Red hold beef, blue holds chicken, white holds pork (because it's the other white meat), and aqua is for fish and seafood. I also have baskets on a different shelf for foods that are cooked, or near ready to eat. Vegetables are in a huge drawer, and fruits and bread stuffs occupy the top shelf. That leaves one shelf as a miscellaneous one with stocks, broths, sauces, and large items that need a temporary home.

7. Only keep things that can survive an unexpected thaw on the freezer door shelves

    Since the interior door shelves are the first place to become warm, pay attention. Now my shelves only hold flours, grains, nuts, butter, and hard cheeses.

8. A stand alone freezer should not be opened too much.

    Store often used items in the freezer attached to the refrigerator to keep the other from being a browsing spot. It uses more energy, plus the frost increases with repeated opening and closings.

9. Use your freezer inventory list to plan meals for the week. 

    Now that I know exactly what is in the freezer and where it is, I can decide what I am going to use for the week, get it all out one time and either put things in the fridge to thaw, or move them to the refrigerator freezer to use later in the week.

10. If possible store all freezer bags, foodsaver if you have one, freezer containers, a funnel, and a sharpie (see #5) together. 

      My freezer bags are all in one spot along with a sharpie. I do have a food saver that lives somewhere else and I often forget about it unless I have bought large quantities of meats or fish. I have to go on a wild goose chase every time I need the funnel. That is about to change (As soon as I remember where I put it)

11. Make a note on whatever type of calendar you use of the date for the last defrosting.  

      Son1's family is going to be in town by mid June. I will make it a point to see if a mini defrosting needs to be done before they get here, but will definitely be doing a major one in August. Twice a year should be plenty, especially since I moved all the things TheHub likes to snack on to the refrigerator freezer.

12. A generator could be the only thing between losing the entire contents and keeping the freezer going in a major power outage. 

      This is not something I learned, but after reading the blogs of some folks who lost everything after their power was off for a few days, I needed to be reminded. Several years ago I lost the contents 2 different times due to storms and loss of power. I bought a portable generator that is still in the box and has never been used. We need to get it out and ready to use, just in case. 

And now that I know what I have in the freezer and where to find it, I am going to celebrate National Pi(e) Day. I have some slices of keto coconut pie in the freezer, and one of them has my name on it.