How I move food out of my Freezer with Ease

Recently, I ran into a neighbor who mentioned he must have thrown out $100 worth of meat away that was tucked into his freezer.  Believe it or not, some of it was from 2009!  I’m certain there is a large part of the population that can relate to losing items in the depths of their freezer never to be seen again. 

When we have the storage, it is a natural human tendency to fill it up.  We chase after bargains, stock our freezer for a rainy day and continue this cycle over and over.  Life gets busy and we become out of touch with what we have while we continue chasing the current bargains of the day.  I have found three ways of preventing this from happening.

1.  I inventory my freezers about four times a year.  Yes, I have two of them, although, both are very small.  I make a list of items on hand and menu plan.  I also know what meats I need to refrain from buying unless they are giving it away. 

2.  Most importantly, when I buy meat in bulk, I always put it in the freezer with a purpose.  I cut meat prior to freezing it for stir fry, shish ka bobs, soup or whatever and I label it.  I put together meat loafs and label ground beef for hamburgers, tacos or chili.  It seems daunting at first but it really helps me cycle the food out of the depths of the freezer and onto our table.  I find that I have less of a block of “what to make” when packages are labeled with ideas in mind.  This is especially helpful if I have spotted a new recipe that looks great but I don’t have time to make it.  I keep the recipe in a binder to be made at the appropriate time.  I do have a few packages of meat unlabeled other than the contents and weight.  I also pack various sizes of meat to accommodate when we are cooking for a smaller bunch.  

3.  About twice a year, I move meat out of the freezer by taking a day and smoking the meat on hand.  Long ago, a good friend gifted me with a meat smoker.  I am able to smoke 20 – 40 pounds of meat in a day. It makes a great gift, freezes well and is always a favorite meal.  Smoked meat at home is out of the ordinary for most.  We always feel like we are fine dining when we pull out a smoked chicken to eat a few months after we prepared it. 

The key to having a freezer and filling it is to have a plan.  Hopefully this will inspire you to never experience the unpleasant discovery of “freezer burn” and trashing once valuable meat gone bad.