As someone who thrives on preparation, it’s no suprise that I have become one of “those” people that has a large pantry and a deep freezer full of food “just in case.” It did creep up on me over time, as these things tend to do. But if you’re the type of person that loves a BOGO, then you’ll ultimately find yourself in need of a place to store extras when you can stock up on good deals. But, the key is to be discerning – buying only things you regularly eat or would eat in the case of an emergency. Whether that’s a last minute meal you need to make or you’re dealing with a natural disaster situation, I find that the keeping of a pantry and freezer can save your ass in a multitude of ways. Here’s how I use my space – and time – wisely to stock my freezer.
Freezer Basics
Firstly, if you’re in a position to have backup power like a generator, solar, or a solar battery box, I highly recommend getting that set up – especially if you have a deep freezer. For one thing, it could literally save your life in the event of an extended outage in cold weather, but also it will ensure that your hard earned freezer stash won’t melt away. That’s money and time you want to protect. That said, there’s still value in stocking your regular freezer with smart picks even if you’ll risk losing them during an outage.
I like to think of the freezer as a holding spot for things you want to use over weeks to months. It’s a space for things that can’t be kept in the fridge that long, but not things you’ll want a year from now. Many people stock up on freezer items and then never use them, losing them to freezer burn or simply forgetting they’re there. Again, it’s not a place for weird things you found on sale or purely items you’re saving for a disaster. It’s simply longer storage than a fridge for things you already eat regularly. That way you rotate through the stock, replenish semi-regularly, and you avoid freezer burn.
Here are some things that I buy to keep on hand and use in a matter of weeks/months:
- Frozen veggies (again, ones you like/use regularly) like corn, mixed veggie packs for stir fry or soups, and some greens like spinach or kale. We’re not stocking a bag of every veggie on earth.
- Frozen fruit
- Butter
- Ready to eat proteins that you might use once a week (for us that’s usually a bag of “nice” breaded chicken tenders), but it could also be tofu, frozen meatballs, breakfast sausage or proteins you have made and then frozen (shredded chicken, pork, etc).
- Ice cream (duh)
- Bread/Bagels/Tortillas or Flatbreads
- Cheese (on BOGO a lot)
- Raw proteins that you plan to use within weeks to 3 months. Yes, I know you can freeze meat longer, but most people (including myself), don’t prepare meat well enough to freeze this long. If you’re the kind of person that just throws the meat pack straight from the store to freezer (I am), don’t expect to pull it out in 6 months and use it. An exception is meat you buy already vaccum packed. We buy the organic grass fed blocks of ground beef from Aldi, which come vaccum packed and last a long time in a freezer. But, if you’ve got the time to individually wrap up each piece and store in a freezer bag, or you have a fancy vacuum sealer, then by all means go nuts.
That’s pretty much it for store bought items for us. We occasionally get things like breakfast sandwiches or family-style meals (Kevin’s are great), but most of that is gone within the week of buying.
A Ready Stash Of Meals
Freezing ingredients is great, but you know what’s even better? Frozen meals. Ones you can reheat immediately during an outage to use up right away, or ones that you can pull out if you forgot to thaw meat for your planned dish. But what I actually consider the best way to use these meals is to work them into your regular meal plan. Once a week, plan to pull them for your dinner that night. That reduces the amount you need to cook during the week AND ensures the meals don’t get lost to freezer burn. Every time you freeze a meal portion, it’s like a gift to your future self. I find that individual portions work best because you can justify freezing even a small amount of leftover food. Plus, everyone can choose something different for dinner. Choose your own adventure.
Freezing food to make your life easier later isn’t exactly revolutionary, I mean I certainly didn’t invent it. But other types of freezer meal prep like frozen casseroles just never appealed to me. We don’t have a large family, and while in theory the make two, freeze one system does work – a casserole size meal takes up a ton of room in the freezer! I also never saw a huge time savings in the crock pot freezer bag prep either. If you have struggled with these kinds of methods, but still want to make the most of the time you’re already spending in the kitchen, try this way. Sometimes I set aside portions right away to freeze, or I wait a day or two to see if the leftovers get eaten then freeze what’s left. The point is that when no one can stand lasagna again, you’ll quietly put it in the freezer and then whip it out next month when it’s “new” again. Hero!
But Rachael, how are you keeping all this food in your freezer without taking up all your tupperware? Let me introduce you to the disposable paper container. Do not come for me about the plastic lid, or whatever chemical plastic lining it probably has. For us, the eating of home-prepared food outweighs most other concerns. And, have you seen the amount of plastic in store-bought frozen dinners? I also do have some Souper Cubes, but I find I grab those for things like sauces and soups only. They are a great choice for the economically and environmentally minded, although you still need to store the cubes after they are frozen in – you guessed it – a ziplock bag.
Ultimately the goal is to mitigate food waste (environmentally and budget friendly!), have the buffer of already prepared food to serve at a moment’s notice, and prepare for a worst case event. Choose whatever containers fit the bill for you!
Things I’ve successfully frozen and reheated:
- Taco Pasta
- Instant Pot Lasagna
- Thanksgiving stuffing, sweet potato casserole, a Turkey carcass that turned into soup
- Curries on rice (just put rice on the bottom, and pour the curry on top)
- Cooked plain pasta
- Chili Chicken Verde
- Homemade bread, cornbread, bagels, biscuits, rolls, cake (freeze slices by wrapping tightly in saran wrap and then foil), waffles
- Plain Rice
- Soups (without rice or pasta)
- Creamy Chicken Orzo
- Sloppy Joes
- Tomato Paste (spread thin inside a quart size ziplock to fill most of the space, then break off chunks when you need it)
- Crushed tomatoes (why don’t they come in a 14oz can?)
- Chili
- Saucy roasts like Pot Roast, Indian Butter Pot Roast, or even BBQ pork (think crock pot preparations of meat)
Many things can be frozen, it’s just a matter of thinking ahead. We always have leftover soup, which freeze and reheat well except if they contain rice or pasta. When reheating the starch will break down and get mushy. So if I think I want to freeze a soup, I simply prepare the pasta or rice separately. I find that pasta or rice in other preparations usually does fine, but tastes best if you let it thaw in the fridge before reheating (rather than going from frozen straight to microwave). If you have to reheat from frozen, use the defrost feature of your microwave. It does actually have a purpose, as it turns out.
Start Small
The prospect of overhauling and stashing your freezer can be overwhelming, so take it slow. First, take inventory of what you have in there. Aim to plan 1-2 recipes over the next few weeks to use up those things. Get rid of anything freezer burned. Take some time to organize it a bit, and focus on using up what you have before beginning to add to it. Maybe purchase a small set of containers. Then, as you go along cooking your way through each week, think about utilizing the freezer to store your leftovers. Pretty soon, like me, you’ll be meal planning for the week while actively considering the freezability of some of the meals, adjusting portions to allow for it, and giving yourself a nice little freezer meal stash. I hope you find this method as helpful as I have, and happy stashing!!