skip to main content

Once-a-Week Cooking

What to keep in deep freezer vs. refrig/freezer?

22 years ago

I just received a small deep freezer chest for Christmas (yippee!!) and want to use it to help me stock up on meats and frozen veggies when on sale, as well as keeping a stock of casseroles or frozen meals that I batch prepare.

The freezer will be in the basement and the fridge/freezer is in the kitchen of course.

I'm wondering what things I should keep in what freezer for best organization, convenience and long storage? Meats in the deep freeze? Where should convenience foods like snacks, frozen pizza, frozen entrees go? I also make my own baby food and chicken stock and freeze into ice cube trays, then put the cubes in ziploc bags - which freezer would you keep those in?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (2)

dustbunni
22 years ago
I think I'd keep the baby food in the refrigerator freezer.
I envy your small freezer. Mine is just too big now that the kids are gone. It's half full of frozen water bottles. And, you might start thinking about this just because the freezer doesn't run as often when it's full. Freezeing water has also saved me during a couple of power outages. Once it was out for a day and a half due to a flood.
I think I'd keep my baby food in the refridgerator where it's convenient. Currently I use my refridgerator freezer to hold ice trays, flours, cornmeal,
and what I call tidbits. This is small containers of things like chopped ham, shredded beef and pork, onion, cooked chopped bacon, bell pepper, bread crumbs, my homemade pizza crusts. Tidbits are the things I can grab for a quick meal without having to run from one room to another. For example when I make biscuits, I'll put it off if I've got to down to the big freezer for flour to refill the canister. Everything else is pretty much in the big one.
I have my freezer divided into three sections. Left is frozen veggies, middle is my prepared items, right is meat and poultry. Stuff like icecream goes on top where it fits. When I had kids at home I used to burry stuff like that or it would be gone in a day. I don't buy frozen pizza or other convenience foods anymore. I really don't do once a month cooking as such. I do batch cooking. If I make spaghetti sauce, I make enough to eat that day and two are frozen for later. Same with beans, rice, mashed potato etc. I also freeze cartons of cooked ground beef. I freeze prepared, uncooked burgers for DH to grill. I buy large peices of sirloin and make steaks and roasts. I cook a large quantity of pork or beef at one time so that I can freeze burritos or barbeque. You'll just have to play with it and see what works out for you. I like to cook but I also have other things to do. I end up cooking from scratch about three days a week. Other nights it's scrounge. That's DH's word for throw together some left overs or grab something already made from the freezer. Again I don't have kids around anymore so that makes a big difference in how much time I have to spend planning and preparing meals.
Victorianpages_aol_com
22 years ago
Orange Juice
Bagels
English Muffins
Make ahead breakast egg muffins
Waffles'
Pancakes
Bread
Pizza Dough
Various Sauces
Frozen Veggies & Fruit
Orange Juice Cubes
Bacon
Hamburger Patties
Chopped Chicken
Chicken Broth
Rice
Related Discussions
Scored a FREE upright deep freezer!
Q
Comments (13)
I might have to look around for one of those water alarms. My house is over 200 years old, the basement is kinda dirt/cement as it was all hand dug and hand filled. I have had the furnace lose it's pressure valve and what a mess because there is no floor drain or french drain. Great score on the upright freezer! I love the one that a retired truck path farmer gave me this summer when he sold the farm and moved. I was able to store my 30lbs blueberries, 10 quarts red raspberies, 8 quarts cherries, 30 quarts beans, eggplant parm, frozen squash, sweet peppers and soon I will be making holiday breads. So nice to be able to see the inventory right in front of you! I am making a list to have on the door, so I know what I have. Now, when do the skinless chicken breast go on sale? I really miss having my walk in coolers and freezers during harvest season, but I don't miss the eletric bill for them
...See More
SZ intergrated 700 full refrig & full freezer, any feedback?
Q
Comments (16)
In our current house, we went with 2 SZ 600 series all-refrigerators. One is the main refrigerator, with a full overlay panel, positioned near the range, ovens, microwave & pantry, facing the island & prep sink. At the end of the refrigerator wall, around the corner, we have a coffee bar facing our family room. At this corner, we decided to position a second 600 all-R with a glass front & overlay panel for beverages, snacks, and party prep. This is a focal point during gatherings and helps keeps people out of the working end of the kitchen. Our previous kitchen had the 600 R & F positioned like a giant side by side, but in our current kitchen we separated the units by zone & function. Our 700 freezer is next to the wall oven stack.
...See More
Refrig-fully integrated/bottom freezer--Miele vs SubZero?
Q
Comments (2)
We are building a house and we chose the Miele 36 inch--not yet installed. We were sold by the quality of the door, the way the custom wood could completely cover the fridge door, the beautiful lighting, the crisper, the completely movable shelves and lots of reading from these forums re: some of the issues with the sub zero. If you go to the showroom it helps to see the differences. We are counting on the Miele track record stated in this forum. Because it is counter depth, we know we will only have fresh items--within view. We decided on refrigerator drawers in our island to off load our fridge of drinks and such.
...See More
counter depth refrig or freezer?
Q
Comments (14)
It took us a little while pre-garden web to come up with it, but we learned you can get get fillers in any size, which is nice. We had extra filler that fit perfectly, so we got very lucky. The hinges can be a bit hard to find - I had to study them all for a while to find the ones I wanted, but they are there. I never thought about using a hinge for the tv. I wanted to mount ours on the wall - I wonder if I can get my husband to come up with a cheaper mount than the overpriced ones. He doesn't want to do a flip down from our cabinet since it is a lone cabinet glued to the wall that houses books and he's worried about the weight. Thanks for that idea.
...See More

Related Stories

HOUSEKEEPING 20 Things You Might Be Forgetting to Spring-Clean

By Laura Gaskill

Clean these often-neglected areas and your house will look and feel better

KITCHEN DESIGN Stay Cool About Picking the Right Refrigerator

By KitchenLab Interiors

If all the options for refrigeration leave you hot under the collar, this guide to choosing a fridge and freezer will help you chill out

GREEN BUILDING The Big Freeze: Inventors Break New Ground to Keep Things Cool

By Olivia Strigari

Old-fashioned fridges can be energy guzzlers, but there are more eco-friendly ways of keeping food fresh, as these global innovations show

KITCHEN DESIGN 10 Ways to Design a Kitchen for Aging in Place

Design choices that prevent stooping, reaching and falling help keep the space safe and accessible as you get older

HOUSEKEEPING How to Clean Your Fridge, Inside and Out

By Bonnie McCarthy

Keep your refrigerator clean and fresh, while you gain storage space and lose those ‘UFOs’

FRUIT TREES How to Grow Your Own Persimmons

By Marianne Lipanovich

Sturdy and easy to care for, these trees offer bright fruit through winter — and keeping them in bounds is no sweat

KITCHEN DESIGN 8 Kitchen Organizing Ideas for Messy Cooks

By Lisa Frederick

Not the clean-as-you-go type? Not to worry. These strategies will help keep your kitchen looking tidy no matter what your cooking style is

KITCHEN STORAGE How to Add a Pullout Spice Rack

By Karen Egly-Thompson

Keep spices neat and free of kitchen grime by giving them a well-organized home in your cabinets

MONTHLY HOME CHECKLISTS Your Spring Organizing Checklist

By Laura Gaskill

Use these ideas for clearing out the clutter and keeping rooms neat and tidy

HOUSEPLANTS 8 Essentials for Healthy Indoor Plants

Houseplants add so much to our homes — and can thrive when grown in the right conditions. Keep these tips in mind

Sponsored

More Discussions

Mixed results with meal delivery service

19