A chest freezer is a useful appliance for households that require additional space to store frozen food items. It can help to free up some space in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator which is best left for day-to-day use. Take advantage of the extra space in a chest freezer to stock up supplies in bulk to save money when you go grocery shopping during a sale. You can freeze them up to be used later or you may also freeze produce that is home-grown. Continue reading to learn how you can optimize the storage space of this type of freezer.
Optimizing Chest Freezer Space
To make use of your chest freezer space more efficiently, you can start by first loading up its base with large items that you do not cook as often. Whereas for short-storage items that you need to use more regularly, always load them up at the area closest to you upon opening the freezer lid. Remember to rotate the position of new and old items regularly as you buy them so that older food can be consumed first before they go bad.
Storing Unpackaged Food in Chest Freezer
Place unpackaged food into resealable bags made of plastic or you can choose aluminum foil. This is to protect the food from freezer burn. You may also write the date that the food was loaded into the chest freezer to remind you when to consume it before it goes bad. Use a piece of masking tape to be pasted over the new packaging and write on it with a permanent market.
Portion Your Produce
Portion up your produce to support easier retrieval later on. It also gets so much easier to thaw it all out when the produce is in smaller portions. For larger items like a whole turkey, you can let it stay in one piece. However, for food items that can be divided up like chicken breasts or ground beef, it is best to separate them into smaller family-sized portions. Use freezer-safe bags made of plastic or any containers that are freezer safe which can be labelled accordingly with the date of storage.
Loading Up the Base Of Your Chest Freezer
You can start loading up your chest freezer by first focusing on its base. Put the largest items at the bottom area if you do not use them regularly. This can promote easy retrieval later on which can save you time during preparation. If you are unsure what items to put at the bottom of the freezer, you can consider food items like turkeys, hams, and other meats. The base of a freezer is the coldest so your meats will be kept fresher longer. Now that you have learnt some tips to help you optimize the space in your chest freezer, you can follow them accordingly. The tips can assist you in making use of your chest freezer more efficiently and save time and effort while you are at it. For more chest freezer tips, check out our other blog posts or get in touch with our team for support.
