"You can survive this. Talk to others that have"

Eranda posted 7/5/2013 09:11 AM

I just got a new bottom freezer fridge which I love. Lots more room than I used to have, all the bottles and small crap fit in the door shelves (YAY), and everything I use every damn day is right at eye level. I can even tell what's in the crisper drawers now!

The one thing I'm not sure about is how to organize the freezer drawer... I have a door on the freezer, but there is a wire basket thingy inside the freezer that pulls out. Problem is- there are really no dividers or anything, so everything in the freezer is just piled in the drawer.

How do you organize it so that you can find what you have??

brooke4 posted 7/5/2013 10:06 AM

I used to have one of those and I had an excellent system.

Putting food in:
Pull drawer out. Cram everything in. Gently close door, pushing everything down, remove fingers at last moment so they don't get crushed. Repeat last step when pizza box wedges between top of drawer and bottom of fridge. Repeat as many times as necessary. Eventually get door closed.

Taking food out:
Take ten minutes to push down wedged pizza box with tip of finger so you can open drawer. Look hopelessly at contents of drawer. Look around kitchen for impressionable children and/or dogs. If safe, empty drawer, swearing like sailor with pubic lice. Find sought after item (or discover that a teenager has already eaten sought after item). Wait for fingers to defrost. Repeat step 1. Move to new house with different freezer.

Just kidding (sort of), and probably not what you were looking for... More organized people will surely be along shortly.

painpaingoaway posted 7/5/2013 10:18 AM

Brooke nailed it for me!

swearing like sailor with pubic lice

LOL! Loved that!

Sad in AZ posted 7/5/2013 10:24 AM

What is this 'organize' you speak of??

lieshurt posted 7/5/2013 10:26 AM

How do you organize it so that you can find what you have??

I would say the easiest way to organize is by not putting too much stuff in there to begin with. My bff has one too and his is so crammed full of stuff there is no way to organize it. Sometimes he buys duplicates of stuff because he couldn't see he already had it.

Eranda posted 7/5/2013 10:36 AM

This is not looking too positive :/

Heavy Sigh posted 7/5/2013 10:41 AM

Great incentive to give up the processed food and to use freezer for ice and ice cream only.

No need to buy frozen pizza with this recipe:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt.

Mix together. Knead a few times. You can roll it out as original recipe suggests or do as I do, and just pat it out in the olive-oil or Pam-sprayed pizza pan.

Then lightly cover top with tomato sauce (I like Paul Newman's marinara).

Whatever else you want on there.

Cook 15 minutes or so on 400 degrees.

This makes one smallish round pizza so I usually make two for our family. Just four of us, but the dogs usually get a slice as well.

[This message edited by Heavy Sigh at 10:43 AM, July 5th (Friday)]

lieshurt posted 7/5/2013 10:50 AM

Heavy Sigh, I am so trying that. Thank you for sharing

brooke4 posted 7/5/2013 10:59 AM

The funny thing is that the only processed food in our freezer is organic, gluten free pizza for the kid in the family who is gluten free.

The rest of the space is taken up by frozen homemade stock, ice cream, frozen homemade demi glace, homemade dog food (we feed raw), and two bags of ice (which I must have at all times--I can't stand dispenser ice yes, I know, there is probably help for that...). That's it, and still I must go through the ritual every time.

Eranda, in all seriousness - I wonder if rubbermaid or some similar company makes an organiser? If not, you could probably come up with something.

5454real posted 7/5/2013 11:01 AM

doesn't everyone organize it alphabetically? ( that's maniacal laughter by the way!)

I'm very afraid to find what is in the bottom of my freezer

painpaingoaway posted 7/5/2013 11:06 AM

What is this 'organize' you speak of??

Really. Isn't 'organize' a curse word? I think it is. Actually, me thinks it may be a diabolical plot. It implies planning, and culling, and strategy, and foresight, and ruthlessness, and dedication, determination, and....well....all those things I'm not capable of! lol!

Recipe sounds good though. I might be able to manage getting two items from the store.

List. Where's my list...

cryingdaily posted 7/5/2013 11:26 AM

Oh, oh, I have a bottom drawer freezer that I love. So much bigger.

My "system" is similar to brooke's. Except I have the bottom drawer that pulls out when you open it and the basket thing on the top. My top basket has all meet, fish and frozen, prepackaged, processed meals.

Bottom has frozen fruits, veggies and misc. (ie. icecream)

Other than that, it's exactly like brooke said.

brooke4 posted 7/5/2013 12:41 PM

doesn't everyone organize it alphabetically? ( that's maniacal laughter by the way!)
I'm very afraid to find what is in the bottom of my freezer

Well, clearly the foods that start with 'z' are in the bottom

"Isn't 'organize' a curse word? I think it is. Actually, me thinks it may be a diabolical plot. It implies planning, and culling, and strategy, and foresight, and ruthlessness, and dedication, determination,"

sorry, lost the quote box. Yeah, it sounds like something you are afraid your teenagers might do (after eating all the frozen food) while you're sleeping after having watched too much footage of Egyptian presidents being deposed...

[This message edited by brooke4 at 12:43 PM, July 5th (Friday)]

nowiknow23 posted 7/5/2013 12:44 PM

Ziploc makes some massive storage bags. My folks used to use them to "organize" their freezer in a fashion. All the bags of frozen veggies in one giant Ziploc, all the frozen fruits in another. Meat in a third.

At least then they could narrow it down to a food category by grabbing the appropriate bag, and then fish inside for what they were after.

Surely the Container store has something that would help?

nowiknow23 posted 7/5/2013 13:50 PM

And by the way, there are some AMAZINGLY organized freezers out there. Google image search for freezer organization. Just saying.

click4it posted 7/5/2013 15:46 PM

lmao Eranda, when I saw this thread title I thought - you only want to know how to do this when you quit smoking.

Oh the things we can do now that we don't smoke - possibilities are endless.

SoVerySadNow posted 7/5/2013 16:08 PM

You can get those plastic bin things to put in there since it doesn't have dividers. If its deep enough, you can stack two levels. Then organize them however you want.
Is mine that way? No, of course not. but I understand the theory.

deeplysad posted 7/5/2013 16:59 PM

I love my bottom freezer but can never find stuff in it.

So we bought a small stand up freezer for the garage that has shelves so it can be better organized.

So now I just keep the stuff we use often in the bottom freezer.

Jpapageorge posted 7/5/2013 17:40 PM

Plastic freezer bags work great. Put whatever you want to store in the bag, lay it flat to freeze the contents and, when completely frozen, stand the up straight.

Slight t/j:

I can't stand dispenser ice

Truer words were never spoken. Dispenser ice is a result of the collusion between the devil and mad scientists- it tastes like doodoo, makes your drinks taste like liquid doodoo, has the texture of styrofoam doodoo and is sure to be the cause of tastebud degeneration for millions of innocent people. Just say NO to icemaker abuse.

painpaingoaway posted 7/5/2013 17:56 PM

Jpapa said doodoo three times in a row. That's not allowed on a freezer organization thread.

Go stand in the corner Jpapa.