Not long until baby arrives and thankfully our new chest freezer or deep freezer is full with yummy freezer meals. You can check out exactly what I prepped and cooked in my list of freezer meals for new Mums. Below is a quick overview of how I organised my freezer and what chest freezer baskets and dividers I used.
The freezer I have is a 200L Hisense chest freezer. It comes with one small basket that sits at the top and can be moved across.
Disclaimer: I could have dumped everything into the big open cavity that makes up a chest freezer and I probably would fit a lot more food in. This would definitely make sense if you are storing bulk meat or larger items. However, I knew the disorganisation would drive me crazy!
Instead I decided that I wanted to separate the space up and store the meals into categories. Hopefully, it will also make it easier for hubby and kids to find specific meals. Update: so far it’s working great!
How Do You Make Chest Freezer Dividers?
The main thing to remember is that there are no perfect chest freezer baskets and dividers! You will want to measure the inside of your freezer and then look for storage containers that fit those measurements. Make sure the baskets are easy to lift in and out, and stackable.
These are the containers I got from my local Bunnings store. Read on to find out how I organised my chest freezer with them.
Chest Freezer Organisation
Bottom Layer
I used two clear plastic containers, one for chicken and the other for beef meals. These had an attached lid and handle, and I could just fit two in the smaller space at the bottom.
Not shown in the photo below but I have since filled the space on the side with the kids’ favorite pizzas from Spud Shed.
Middle Layer
I used two of the grey/blue storage containers and they hold pasta dishes.
Top Layer
I only have one storage container on top and extra meals are sitting on the other side. I could easily buy another one to fill that space but I like that it gives me a bit room to move things around if I need to.
This top container is filled with strawberries and strawberry sauce from strawberry picking with the kids in the school holidays. Somehow we brought home 8kg of freshly picked strawberries!!
I haven’t yet labelled the freezer dividers which would be the way to go. I do have a piece of paper on top of the freezer that I write meals on, by category, so we I can keep track of what’s in there.
So far the freezer has stayed organised and it has been easy to locate what I want. I think a key will be to regular use what’s in there and replace it with new freezer meals as we go through them. I do love being able to pull out a meal and know that, that’s dinner done.
We do have a freezer above the fridge which is being used for items we use regularly. For example; bread, frozen blueberries, meat for meals I am cooking now. Keeping the purpose of each freezer separate helps with organisation as well!
More Ideas For Your Freezer
- Freezer Meals For New Mums
- Free Printable Freezer Inventory
- Freezer Cooking 101
- How To Freeze Food Properly
