how to organise kitchen drawers

Learning how to organise freezer drawers ensures you can make the most of your freezer space and keep your food in good condition for longer.

A good freezer is one of the most important tools you can have to ensure you minimise waste and make the most of your budget. With a freezer, you can cut costs by making your own stock, preparing meals in advance to avoid ordering takeout, and even purchasing specific goods in bulk (like chicken and vegetables).

Of course, just like any essential tool, your freezer will work best when you know how to use it.

Proper organisation for a set of freezer drawers doesn’t just make your freezer look better. It also ensures you can access the right foods before they get freezer burn and stop certain foods from being exposed to changing temperatures.

Here’s everything you need to know about organising your freezer drawers.

The Problems with a Drawer Freezer

A drawer freezer is just one type of freezer you can use to store frozen items in your home. At first, a drawer design can look like a good idea, as it allows you to make the most of your freezer space and ensures you don’t have to go diving through various products every time you want to retrieve something like you would with a chest freezer.

However, a drawer freezer also has some unique issues you need to consider when storing frozen foods. For instance, it’s more common for frozen food in the top drawer of your freezer to be eaten first because it’s easily accessible. On the other hand, the bottom freezer drawer can be harder to access and is usually a little deeper than the rest of the drawers.

Open clean fridge container with ice cube

A deep drawer can stack more food, but it also means you’ll have to sort through items to find what you need; you’re more likely to leave certain foods within your freezer for longer than you intend. There’s also a risk that some freezers will keep some of your meat and veggies colder the further they are away from the freezer door.

This would be the same situation you’d get with any standing freezer, as the front part of the device is more exposed to changes in air temperature when you open the door. The back of the freezer compartments doesn’t get as much air.

Organising your Drawer Freezer: Where to Start

Whether you’re just setting up some new appliances or you want to make sure you’re taking advantage of all the usable portions of your freezer correctly, it’s important to know where to get started. The first step is to open your upright freezer drawer and remove everything from the inside—store foods in cooling containers and iceboxes until you can return them to the freezer.

As you’re taking everything out of your freezer, remove anything that doesn’t need to be there. For instance, you might have a stack of icepacks or various pieces of food from several years ago you’re never going to use. If you’re keeping ice cube trays in the freezer when you already have an ice maker or you’re storing unused containers, remove those too.

Take out the storage bins and drawers and clean them thoroughly, so you’re ready to start organising all the stuff you will be storing.

Start Organising Your Food

Now you’ve got a clean and open freezer, start creating smaller compartments to stack your items where they can remain visible.

You can buy special containers and organisers for this purpose, but you can also use bins from your refrigerator or simply separate things with pieces of plastic or cardboard. The idea is to make it as easy as possible to see all your frozen veggies, meat, and other foods at once.

When organising your food, remember that shorter, smaller things should go on the top, while bigger things go on the bottom. This might seem obvious, but learning how to slot various products together can save you a lot of space in each drawer.

While you’re working, save space by making awkward things more stackable. For instance, you can take chicken thighs out of their packaging and place them into a box-style container or freezer bag to save space. Just make sure you keep a note of any cooking instructions from boxes and packaging you need to get rid of.

assortment of frozen vegetables in home fridge

Remember, when you’re organising each freezer drawer, be careful about the items you put in places that aren’t easily visible or accessible. Like with chest freezers, it’s easy to lose track of the items in the bottom drawer of your drawer freezer if you’re not careful. It might be worth placing some things you regularly need in the bottom freezer compartment to keep you going back in there.

It’s also worth checking the entire space in your freezer from time to time to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. This can be a good step to take before you go and stock up on frozen pizza and other frozen food items at the supermarket.

The Best Tips for Organising your Freezer

The more time you spend with your freezer, container store bins, and drawers, the more you’ll learn how to use your freezer effectively. However, while you’re still in the process of initially getting things organised, there are some simple strategies you can use.

Know Your Freezer

Remember, some fridge freezers are warmer towards the top than they are on the very bottom. Know precisely the temperature at each point in your freezer and refrigerator, and avoid placing meats in areas where the temperature is changeable.

Use Containers and Packages

food containers

You can take up a lot less space in your freezer if you remove items from their packaging and store them again with a vacuum sealer, bags, or containers. The great idea is to keep the small cooking instructions section from the food you’re storing taped to the containers or bags.

Create Freezer Zones

The chances are the things you freeze in your house will likely fall into different categories. Using specific containers and segments in a drawer for connected items can be helpful. For instance, you can store bread and buns in one of the bins and freeze veggies in another area.

Use Labels

If you’re freezing a lot of stuff at once, it can help you organise your freezer if you label each of the bins and every shelf with a laminated tag. You can name different sections with things like “meat” or “veggies”.

Organise Regularly

Make sure you organise your freezer again regularly and check to see whether anything you freeze needs to be thrown away. You’ll need to be careful to make sure you don’t fall into the habit of just throwing food anywhere in your freezer or fridge if you want to keep things organised.

How to Organise a Chest Freezer

Organising a chest freezer involves the same tips as learning how to master freezer organisation with a drawer freezer. Once again, you’ll want to use resealable bags and storage bins to help make the most of the space throughout your freezer.

However, it’s important to remember chest freezers are much more likely to retain the majority of their cold temperatures in the bottom of the freezer. When you organise your chest freezer, you’ll need to think about how you can regularly move things from the bottom of the freezer to stop them from getting freezer burned. The closer the food is to the door, the more it’ll be exposed to the air when you open the freezer lid.

There are various freezer storage ideas online and bins you can use to help you lift the item you need out of the bottom freezer section more easily.

Make the Most of Your Fridge Freezer

The ideal refrigerator and freezer should have all the space you need for various foods and crucial items like ice packs. However, to get the most out of your space, you’ll need to know how to use the space effectively, from the top drawer to the bottom drawer.

Learning how to organise freezer drawers properly will ensure you don’t end up with two drawers full of items you forget about when writing your grocery list.

Taking the time to organise your refrigerator and freezer with the great ideas listed above will help keep your house fully functional. When you organise your freezer correctly, you can also save money on your next trip to the grocery store because you’re aware of what’s on your shelves’ left and right sides and what you’ve got stored in the bottom drawer.

Once you add this simple task to your to-do list, you’ll save money and reduce waste in no time.

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