5 Easy Tips For Making The Most Out Of Your Freezer Space

Flickr / Lenore Edman

Freezer space is like gold. If you have it, hold on to it. Depending on how many people you live with, freezer space can get pretty tight and confusing. Once your food is bagged up and frozen, it’s kind of hard to tell what’s what. If you’re someone who likes to meal prep or you buy a lot of frozen foods, you have to make the most out of the room you have. Here are some tip for maximizing your freezer.

1. Make Labels

It might seem tedious at first, but making labels for your food will help you to stay organized. In professional kitchens, food is labeled with a description and a date to save time and keep things in order. You can easily do that at home with your own freezer. Get yourself some masking tape and a Sharpie and label your food as it goes into the freezer. You won’t have to go on a wild goose chase every time you want to find something.

2. Stack Your Bags

When you throw your food into a Ziploc bag and toss it in the freezer, chances are its shape might get a little wonky. It takes up more space when your food is all lumped together at the bottom of a bag instead of just freezing it flat. Once you put your food into a freezer bag, press out all of the air and lay it flat in the freezer until it’s solid. When the food is flat like a book you can easily stack everything on top of each other and save a ton of room.

3. Throw Away Boxes

Boxes take up an obnoxious amount of space. When you buy frozen food, take everything out of the boxes and label it. Just remember to snap a photo of the cooking instructions with your phone (or write them down) before trashing the box. You’ll save a ton of room.

4. Use Dividers

You can get pretty creative with dividers in the freezer. Go to the office supplies store and see what kind of dividers you can find. You can turn your freezer into a mini grocery store with everything in its own little section. This will keep everything separated and organized.

5. Group Foods By Category

Separate your food into categories. Put your veggies in one section, meats in another, pasta in another, frozen foods in another, etc. When it’s time to cook, you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for right away and you’ll make your life a lot easier.