Freezer Meal Storage

I had planned on doing a freezer meal post last week and just did not get to it. So, I thought I would do one today. I also plan on posting some of my favorite freezer meal recipes. I think I may just post them as I make them. That will help get me motivated to put some things in the freezer and I can also have pictures to post with the recipes.

I was asked a couple of weeks ago how I store my meals. I know it is difficult if you are very limited on freezer space. I have a large chest freezer but it is full of meat. We buy 1/2 of beef each year. We raise hogs, so I have lots of pork, and my husband deer hunts. I also live in a climate that seems prone to bugs. I have had problems several times with them in my kitchen. I do not like bugs at all, let alone in my kitchen. Therefore, I keep most of my extra flour, oatmeal, rice, and such in the freezer. So, my freezer is pretty full most of the time.

I freeze a lot of my things in Ziploc bags. They work great for things like sloppy joe sauce, spaghetti sauce, chili, stew, soups, and more. I lay them on a cookie sheet and freeze them. Once they are solid I remove them from the cookie sheet. I do this so they freeze flat. Otherwise you end up with very odd shaped bags. At least I do, because I do not have a flat surface in my freezer to lay them on. I also label the bags well. I write the date and what it is. This is important. Things can get buried in the back or bottom of a freezer so you will want to know the date you put it in there.

Ziploc bags take up very little space that is why I like them so well. I tend to buy only the real Ziploc bags for freezing. I use the cheaper ones for everyday but I have had a lot of trouble with bags splitting and breaking with the cheaper versions, when using them for freezer meals.

Several years ago when I did a lot of freezer cooking I invested in some Pyrex containers with lids. These are great because they stack nice. I found them at Walmart for a reasonable price. The come in quite a few sizes. I label them using masking tape. These work great for pasta dishes, enchiladas, and my baked french toast that I freeze.

I also always make sure my food is cold when I place it in the freezer. I place it in the refrigerator for several hours before freezing. If you place cold food, in a cold freezer, you get less freezer burn on the items in the freezer.

If anyone has any questions about how I do my freezer meals please ask. I will do my best to answer them.