How to Organize a Freezer

Co-authored by Caitlin Jaymes

Last Updated: February 25, 2022 References

We all know that moment where you open your freezer and some unidentifiable and ancient food comes hurtling down at you. Turn your freezer from a disaster zone into a space that actually helps you cook and eat by using a few simple tricks. Make sure all your items are packaged and labeled to maximize your storage efficiency. Then, organize using bins and bags to create an intuitive freezer arrangement. Spending a little time organizing now will save you so much time in the future.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Repackaging and Labeling Food

1
Take everything out and throw away the old food. Food doesn’t last forever, even in the freezer. That old bag of frozen burgers that’s been there for the last ten years, the popsicles from last summer–you probably don’t even know all the stuff that’s in your freezer until you scoop everything out onto the counter. Throw out the food that’s too freezer burned (discolored and covered in ice crystals) and the stuff you’ll never eat.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Caitlin Jaymes
Professional Organizer
Expert Interview. 16 December 2019.}
- Even though freezer burned food is safe to eat, it won’t taste good.
- Once your freezer is empty, it’s a great opportunity to clean out any drips or spills.
2
Remove items from their boxes so they take up less room. There’s no reason you have to store items in the box you bought them in.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Caitlin Jaymes
Professional Organizer
Expert Interview. 16 December 2019.} If the box has already been opened, repackage your food in an airtight container to avoid freezer burn. You can use a vacuum sealer, or just carefully squeeze the air out of a bag.^{[4]
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- Leave about ¹⁄₂ to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 cm) of headspace for the food to expand when freezing so you don’t break the container.^{[5]
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- If you want the box for cooking directions, you can always cut out the directions part and tape it on the container, jot down directions on the label, or look up directions later online.
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Freeze your items flat so they fit better. You can freeze your items flat in gallon or quart-sized bags. First, put your food, such as soup or ground meat, in a freezer bag and remove all the air. Lay it flat in the freezer to freeze.^{[6]
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- Once they're frozen flat, you can stack them vertically and file them in a box or magazine holders. Your freezer will be just as organized as a filing cabinet.^{[7]
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4
Label all your containers with contents and date. It’s so easy to forget something in the back of your freezer, pull it out months later, and have no idea what it is. Save your future self by labeling containers before you freeze them with their contents, the date you’re freezing it, and when you should eat the food by.^{[8]
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- You can use a special label maker, or simply put a bit of blue tape on the outside of the container and write with a permanent marker.
- Make sure your labels face outwards, so you don’t have to claw through your freezer to figure out when to eat something.^{[9]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Organizing with Bins and Bags

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Group food in bins by category. Use clear plastic bins that stack for maximal use of your freezer. Put food in the same category in the same bin. For example, you could have one bin for meats, another for soups, and another for veggies. That way you can easily find and pull out the food you are looking for.^{[10]
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- You might want to measure your freezer before you buy bins to make sure they fit.^{[11]
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- If you have a chest freezer, open bins or crates help divide your freezer into compartments.
- If shelves are getting in the way of your new bin system, you can just take them out.^{[12]
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- Invest in a multi-door freezer; it is easy to organize and freeze food items in a multi-door freezer.
2
Put frozen veggies in repurposed milk gallons. If you have veggies you use all the time, like peas or corn, keeping them in a washed out milk gallon will let you easily pour them out. First, freeze your veggies flat on cookie sheets, and once they are frozen, pour them into the container. Don’t freeze them directly in the gallon container, or you may have trouble getting them out again.^{[13]
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- You can easily pull the gallon out of your freezer using its handle and pour out a portion.
3
Freeze individual servings to avoid defrosting whole containers. Portion out meals and ingredients ahead of time and freeze them in their own bags or containers. For example, instead of freezing a whole pack of bacon, wrap a few slices in plastic wrap so that you can cook them directly from frozen instead of defrosting the whole pack to peel away the slices.^{[14]
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- Preparing many servings at once and freezing individual portions can save you tons of cooking time later on.^{[15]
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4
Keep an inventory of the items in your freezer. If you find yourself forgetting what you have and what you should eat first, keep a list of your frozen items right on the outside of your freezer. While it’s not really feasible to keep an inventory of everything in your fridge, it’s much easier to keep track of things in the freezer, because they stay there so much longer.^{[16]
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- Whenever you throw something in the freezer, just add it to the list, and scratch it off once it’s eaten.
- This can be especially helpful if you have an extra freezer outside of the kitchen with food you tend to forget about.

Expert Q&A

Question

How can I save space in my freezer?

Caitlin Jaymes
Closet Organizer & Fashion Stylist
Caitlin Jaymes is a Closet Organizer and Fashion Stylist based in Los Angeles, California. With a background in Fashion PR and Fashion Design, she specializes in creating wardrobes for her clients with pieces they already own. She has experience working with celebrities, editorial shoots, and men and women of all ages. Caitlin uses fashion and organization to help instill and influence confidence, ambition, and stress-free lifestyles for all her clients. She runs her business by two guiding principles: “fashion has no rules, only guidance on how to look and feel your best” and “life has too many stressors, don’t let clutter be one of them.” Caitlin’s work has been featured on HGTV, The Rachael Ray Show, VoyageLA, Liverpool Los Angeles, and the Brother Snapchat Channel.

Caitlin Jaymes

Closet Organizer & Fashion Stylist

Expert Answer

Taking things out of their packaging can really help free up space in your freezer. For example, taking popsicles out of the box will save more space.