Are you a member of the messy freezer club?

Does your freezer look like this? Don’t worry you’re not alone - so does ours….

When used properly freezers can be a great tool to have. Freezing is a super easy way to preserve food. You can take advantage of buying food when it’s on sale or purchasing less expensive bulk package. You can also batch cook and freeze some for a later date – creating your own quick, healthy, convenience meals.

Freezers can prolong the life of most foods for 3-6 months. Which is important to remember because foods left in the freezer too long can become freezer burnt which can change the taste, texture or colour of the food. Often we throw away foods that are freezer burnt which is a waste of time, energy and money.

A friend of mine recently cleaned out her freezer and ended up throwing away about $120 worth of food… this quickly prompted her to make some changes.

Here are three easy tips to maximize the use of your freezer.

1.  Label and date all food
• Dates could include when it went into the freezer, a use by date or both. 
• You may also want to include the amount of food in the container or bag.
• Keep labeling material close by - I like to use green painters tape and a marker.
  
  
  
  
2. Keep an inventory. Easily done with a piece of paper and pen. 
• Keep track of everything that goes in and out of your freezer. 
• Keep this list handy – like on the side of your fridge or freezer.

3. Use boxes or open containers to create divided areas in your freezer to store similar foods together.

Do you have other tips for organizing your freezer? We’d love to hear from you.

Shannon RD

Registered Dietitian