Our deep freezer was delivered today!

AprilZ81 · December 2015

I'm not supposed to put food in it for 24 hours (which is fine since I have no food to put in it anyway).

What are some things you like to keep onhand? Obviously meat is a great thing to stock up on, along with bread and cheese... What are some of the more unusual things you keep in a deep freezer?

julieanne912 · December 2015

I don't have a deep freeze so I don't do all I want, but I still do some things in addition to the usual. Sort of along the lines of bread, but I'll make stuff like pizza dough in large batches and freeze in individual balls.

Stuff like pesto and sauces (like marinara) freeze really well too.

And TBH, we keep a fair amount of liquor in the freezer haha!

hoffse · December 2015

Cookies... (especially girl scout cookies)

Also, cinnamon raisin toast and things like bagels and English muffins. They all toast well from a frozen state.

We keep our ice cream maker thing in the deep freezer too, so that it's always ready to use. It's too big to keep in the regular freezer.

Oh and we started buying those huge bags of Sister Schuberts at Costco once we had a big freezer.

I don't know if we freeze anything unusual, but we buy all of that stuff in bulk now.

Enjoy!

hoffse · December 2015

Oh yeah, ditto the pesto. We use the Costco pesto for our pizza night, but we usually keep half in the fridge and half in the freezer so it doesn't go bad before we can use all of it. It freezes wonderfully.

Real mozzarella freezes really well too.

I have been known to freeze salsa.

Oh and when I have leftover fruit that's about to turn I usually cut it up and freeze it for smoothies or pie fillings.

AprilZ81 · December 2015

I'm going to make some pasta sauce with meat in in and portion that out and freeze it. I need to go to the store so I'm going to keep an eye out for things that go on sale and buy some extra to start the freezer stash.

I didn't get a food saver for Christmas (but I did get a deep fryer and a cast iron Dutch oven!) so my plan is to get one in January with our "home improvement" budget. I think I'm just going to get a basic model. It is almost half the cost and honestly, I just need it to suck air out of packages so things stay fresh longer. I don't need something that marinates and does a bunch of fancy stuff.

I'm not working this week, so I could stir up some cookie dough so I could have that ready to go at the drop of a hat.

short+sassy · December 2015

Right now, the weirdest thing I have in my chest freezer is a big bucket full of frozen water. We just got ours a few months ago and its only halfway full (for now...muu-ha-ha), but freezers work most efficiently when they are full, so we are currently keeping that bucket-sized chunk of ice in it.

Other than that, I primarily use my extra freezer to keep my regularly used Costco purchases in stock...since I usually only go there 1-2x/month. Or to take advantage of grocery specials on meat and/or buying things in bulk.

bmo88 · December 2015

I like to buy large bags of frozen veggies from Costco for our deep freezer. They are handy, especially the stir fry blend. I also stock up on beef when it's on sale, sausage and brats. We currently have two (yes, two) Costco turkeys in our freezer because they were $5 after thanksgiving. DH plans to smoke them in the next month. Oh and we have a large ham.

dragonstarjk · December 2015

H is a hunter, so ours is stocked with game meat of various kinds. Plus our ice cream maker bowl and Girl Scout cookies (this seems to be a trend...)

I actually couldn't resist getting up just now and looking to see what was in our freezer! We also have pie crusts and butter--I like to buy several when they are on sale.

vlagrl29 · December 2015

ice cream and popsicles. we also keep bigger boxes of appetizers you get at costco. obviously cheese, bread, deli meat and our overstock of beef/chicken.

lbonga1 · December 2015

Milk is one of the more unusual things you can freeze. I like freezing make ahead stuff, like breakfast burritos, baked oatmeal, casseroles, etc.

Xstatic3333 · December 2015

I freeze lots of veggies each summer. Eggplant freezes great in slices, blanched with lemon. Pesto, as many have said. Kale, raw in pieces. Probably the most unusual thing I freeze, though, is whole hot peppers. They freeze great raw and then I thaw as needed. Enjoy the freezer!

abrewer5 · December 2015

We keep a lot of frozen soups in our second freezer. I'll make a big batch of chili or chicken noodle and since it's just H & I we usually eat half and package/freeze the rest. It's great for lunches or when he's night shift and we can just grab and go.

I also agree with frozen veggies. They're always good to have on hand.

We've even frozen homemade lasagna before and that worked pretty well.

Erikan73 · December 2015

Bags of chili (we make a big crock pot worth & divide it up & freeze it)
Frozen veggies
Buy meat in bulk & then divide up to proper portions with vacuum seal machine

als1982 · December 2015

Mine is mostly frozen veggies, cheese and meat plus a few frozen dinners and pizzas for lazy nights and weekends. I also pre-chop mirepoix (celery, carrots and onion), mix and fill gallon size Ziploc bags 1/3 of the way full, and then freeze flat. Whenever I need some for cooking, I just break off a piece. I use this combo in so much!!

blondie42107 · December 2015

Our deep freezer currently has: frozen homemade apple pies (ready for the oven), frozen veggies from Sam's Club, ground beef, chicken, pork chops, etc. We also have a variety of venison (H hunts). Tomato sauces, homemade jam, homemade soups (I always make double so I can freeze extra - I portion them out in single serve so we can grab for work). I also freeze cookies, bread and like @hoffse we love Sister Schubert rolls! We also toss in lasagna, casseroles, etc.

There's so much you can freeze!

short+sassy · December 2015

als1982 said:

Mine is mostly frozen veggies, cheese and meat plus a few frozen dinners and pizzas for lazy nights and weekends. I also pre-chop mirepoix (celery, carrots and onion), mix and fill gallon size Ziploc bags 1/3 of the way full, and then freeze flat. Whenever I need some for cooking, I just break off a piece. I use this combo in so much!!

I have never heard of mirepoix, fun to learn something new!

We have something very similar in my neck of the woods that is called the "Cajun Trinity". It is celery, onions, and bell pepper (instead of carrots). And, just like what mirepoix sounds like, it is used to flavor up a lot of dishes.

als1982 · December 2015

short+sassy said:

als1982 said:

Mine is mostly frozen veggies, cheese and meat plus a few frozen dinners and pizzas for lazy nights and weekends. I also pre-chop mirepoix (celery, carrots and onion), mix and fill gallon size Ziploc bags 1/3 of the way full, and then freeze flat. Whenever I need some for cooking, I just break off a piece. I use this combo in so much!!

I have never heard of mirepoix, fun to learn something new!

We have something very similar in my neck of the woods that is called the "Cajun Trinity". It is celery, onions, and bell pepper (instead of carrots). And, just like what mirepoix sounds like, it is used to flavor up a lot of dishes.

Love it! I use the combo in pretty much anything that calls for onions. I figure it adds flavor and a few extra veggies.

I also roast a lot of whole chickens, and stuff the cavity with this. Once the meat is removed, the bones, skin and cooked mirepoix go right into the Crockpot to make a tasty stock!

blondie42107 · December 2015

lbonga1 said:
Milk is one of the more unusual things you can freeze. I like freezing make ahead stuff, like breakfast burritos, baked oatmeal, casseroles, etc.

When the financial crisis/recession hit in the early 1980s, I remember my mom saying she would go to the grocery store once or twice a month (we lived 30 minutes from the closest grocery store) - people were really limiting their shopping trips and freezing milk was very common.

als1982 · December 2015

blondie42107 said:

lbonga1 said:
Milk is one of the more unusual things you can freeze. I like freezing make ahead stuff, like breakfast burritos, baked oatmeal, casseroles, etc.
When the financial crisis/recession hit in the early 1980s, I remember my mom saying she would go to the grocery store once or twice a month (we lived 30 minutes from the closest grocery store) - people were really limiting their shopping trips and freezing milk was very common.

How do you freeze and defrost milk? We only use powdered milk at this point, but I'd be interested in this.

LillibetteV · December 2015

Our chest freezer is usually stocked with meats, breads/english muffins, butter, frozen veggies, homemade banana oat pancakes, breakfast burritos, homemade chicken stock, soups, chili, and homemade frozen meals (such as lasagna, cabbage rolls..)

littlemushroom · December 2015

My unusual item is teaspoon sized cubes of crushed ginger. We don't ever use an entire finger of ginger or the entire fresh package of crushed ginger before it goes bad. I freeze it in teaspoon portions and it is so easy to throw one or two in to whatever I am making. It is nice to always have on hand.

We buy meat in bulk and then portion it into individual packages. Ground beef goes into 1 lb portions or preformed 1/4 pound burgers that can go on the grill frozen. I also cut down boneless chicken breasts into easily thawable portions.

We keep portions of homemade lasagna, BBQ shredded pork, Chili, soups, pasta sauce with sausage, and meatballs in our chest freezer for quick and easy meals. We also have some already grilled chicken breasts ready to thaw for salad toppings or sandwiches. I also just made some mini meat loaves that will be frozen as well.

As soon as we have a good stock pile of easy meals, we eat from our freezer for a few weeks and really save on groceries.

blondie42107 · December 2015

als1982 said:

blondie42107 said:

lbonga1 said:
Milk is one of the more unusual things you can freeze. I like freezing make ahead stuff, like breakfast burritos, baked oatmeal, casseroles, etc.
When the financial crisis/recession hit in the early 1980s, I remember my mom saying she would go to the grocery store once or twice a month (we lived 30 minutes from the closest grocery store) - people were really limiting their shopping trips and freezing milk was very common.
How do you freeze and defrost milk? We only use powdered milk at this point, but I'd be interested in this.

All I remember my mom mentioning was removing some milk from the jug/carton because the milk expands as it freezes. I think my grandmother thawed hers in cold water in the kitchen sink? I was young so I don't remember my mom doing it. I know my grandmother did it regularly. My grandfather was 11 years older than my grandmother (my mom was a huge surprise - 16 year age gap between her and the next sibling) and my grandfather was a depression child. As a result, they were a waste nothing family! Also never tossed anything... Lol

julieanne912 · December 2015

We used to freeze milk when we'd go camping. Mom would pour a bit out and then freeze it, and then put it in the cooler.... it wouldn't be really usable on the first day but by day 2 there would be enough unfrozen to drink that day, then more would unfreeze to drink the next day, etc.

Also cooked rice freezes really well. I do this when I have left over, and then freeze in individual portions in sandwich bags. I use it when H is traveling, that way I don't have to cook a whole batch for just me... rice gets harder to cook for just one person.

brij2006 · December 2015

Oh man. Everything! A better question is probably, what don't I freeze?

We have 1 deep freezer, and 1 upright deep freeze. Along with the one in our fridge.

- 1/4 of a cow. We get it once a year and choose the cuts so we get things we will use. So we have ground beef packaged in 1lb, roasts, beef tips, ribs, and brisket for the smoker.

- 1 whole hog. Pork chops, loin, roasts, ribs, bacon, sausage, ground pork, and brats.

- Chicken. We buy non-hormone chicken cuts. So I buy them in bulk when they're discounted for quick sale, then separate them out into freezer bags, and do 2 to a package since it's just the 2 of us.

- Bread, hot dog/hamburger buns, english muffins. I buy 4 loaves when they're on sale or discounted because it's getting old.

- Tortilla shells. We have Mexican food at least once a week, so I always have these on hand.

- Veggies. I will buy the large 5 pound bag. I also hit up the farmers markets in the summer and buy vegetables we use often. I cut them up and freeze in freezer bags. Also do this with onions and peppers for stir fry, fajitas, breakfast skillet, etc. Do it with ingredients for soups too. So cut and freeze portions of celery, carrots, and onions, along with a couple fresh bay leaves from the garden. Makes it easy to toss together a quick dinner or pot of soup on the weekend.

- Lunch meat and cheese. Also cheese in all forms and variety. Shredded, block, sliced.

I do a lot of homemade things. So we currently have a ton of applesauce frozen from the fall, and when I make lasagna I double the batch and freeze 2 8x8 pans worth for quick dinners.

One thing I really try to watch, is how many times a meat is being thawed and refrozen. It can really change the taste and texture of it, and you run the risk of it being in the "danger zone" too many times for temperature. So I will thaw, cook, and refreeze ground beef. But I will not thaw, form into balls for meatballs, then refreeze the uncooked meat. I have found it tastes funny. So either you will want to make your fresh stuff into something before freezing, or do something that cooks the meat before refreezing.

I'm probably missing a bunch of stuff that we freeze, but right now almost 1 entire freezer is full of breastmilk.

brij2006 · December 2015

AprilZ81 said:

I'm going to make some pasta sauce with meat in in and portion that out and freeze it. I need to go to the store so I'm going to keep an eye out for things that go on sale and buy some extra to start the freezer stash.

I didn't get a food saver for Christmas (but I did get a deep fryer and a cast iron Dutch oven!) so my plan is to get one in January with our "home improvement" budget. I think I'm just going to get a basic model. It is almost half the cost and honestly, I just need it to suck air out of packages so things stay fresh longer. I don't need something that marinates and does a bunch of fancy stuff.

I'm not working this week, so I could stir up some cookie dough so I could have that ready to go at the drop of a hat.

I learned my lesson with this. I made a quadruple batch, and froze them in balls so we could grab a few out and bake them. A month later I went to make some, and there were only 4 left. My husband had been eating the frozen cookie dough as snacks. Now he complains that I haven't froze cookie dough since.

brij2006 · December 2015

AprilZ81 said:

I'm going to make some pasta sauce with meat in in and portion that out and freeze it. I need to go to the store so I'm going to keep an eye out for things that go on sale and buy some extra to start the freezer stash.

I didn't get a food saver for Christmas (but I did get a deep fryer and a cast iron Dutch oven!) so my plan is to get one in January with our "home improvement" budget. I think I'm just going to get a basic model. It is almost half the cost and honestly, I just need it to suck air out of packages so things stay fresh longer. I don't need something that marinates and does a bunch of fancy stuff.

I'm not working this week, so I could stir up some cookie dough so I could have that ready to go at the drop of a hat.

I learned my lesson with this. I made a quadruple batch, and froze them in balls so we could grab a few out and bake them. A month later I went to make some, and there were only 4 left. My husband had been eating the frozen cookie dough as snacks. Now he complains that I haven't froze cookie dough since.

hoffse · December 2015

Not going to lie, I eat frozen cookie dough when I make it. I can't keep it around!

We also use our deep freezer to stock up on lean cuisines and healthy choice frozen meals for lunches when they go on sale. They are kind of pricey, but our grocery store runs deals on them periodically. Usually we have to buy like 5 at a time to get the deal though.

maple2 · December 2015

We are vegetarian, so we don't use it for meat, but other than that we keep it pretty full with things pps have mentioned. Bread products when they are on sale, frozen fruit for smoothies (either purchased in bags or picked and frozen), frozen veggies (usually peas and corn since the kids love them), nuts (I try to buy a year's supply during the Dec. sales), homemade soups and pasta sauces, veggies from our garden or farm share (spinach and kale leaves, roasted pumpkin and squash, grated zucchini, etc.), and homemade sweet breads that I can pull out for a potluck or whatever. I will also stock up on other items as they go on sale, like veggie burgers. Sometimes I have a stash of buckeyes (basically peanut butter/rice crispie/sugar balls dipped in chocolate), but we're trying to cut back on desserts right now.

blondie42107 · December 2015

brij2006 said:

Oh man. Everything! A better question is probably, what don't I freeze?

We have 1 deep freezer, and 1 upright deep freeze. Along with the one in our fridge.

- 1/4 of a cow. We get it once a year and choose the cuts so we get things we will use. So we have ground beef packaged in 1lb, roasts, beef tips, ribs, and brisket for the smoker.
- 1 whole hog. Pork chops, loin, roasts, ribs, bacon, sausage, ground pork, and brats.
- Chicken. We buy non-hormone chicken cuts. So I buy them in bulk when they're discounted for quick sale, then separate them out into freezer bags, and do 2 to a package since it's just the 2 of us.
- Bread, hot dog/hamburger buns, english muffins. I buy 4 loaves when they're on sale or discounted because it's getting old.
- Tortilla shells. We have Mexican food at least once a week, so I always have these on hand.
- Veggies. I will buy the large 5 pound bag. I also hit up the farmers markets in the summer and buy vegetables we use often. I cut them up and freeze in freezer bags. Also do this with onions and peppers for stir fry, fajitas, breakfast skillet, etc. Do it with ingredients for soups too. So cut and freeze portions of celery, carrots, and onions, along with a couple fresh bay leaves from the garden. Makes it easy to toss together a quick dinner or pot of soup on the weekend.
- Lunch meat and cheese. Also cheese in all forms and variety. Shredded, block, sliced.

I do a lot of homemade things. So we currently have a ton of applesauce frozen from the fall, and when I make lasagna I double the batch and freeze 2 8x8 pans worth for quick dinners.

One thing I really try to watch, is how many times a meat is being thawed and refrozen. It can really change the taste and texture of it, and you run the risk of it being in the "danger zone" too many times for temperature. So I will thaw, cook, and refreeze ground beef. But I will not thaw, form into balls for meatballs, then refreeze the uncooked meat. I have found it tastes funny. So either you will want to make your fresh stuff into something before freezing, or do something that cooks the meat before refreezing.

I'm probably missing a bunch of stuff that we freeze, but right now almost 1 entire freezer is full of breastmilk.

I know what you mean! My sister actually had to purchase a second deep freezer because her freezer stash took up the room her H had planned to store a huge beef order they got. It's so worth it. I remember how much room we had in our freezer after my stash was used (I had a 4 month supply in the freezer when I stopped pumping). Great job!!

brij2006 · December 2015

blondie42107 said:

brij2006 said:

Oh man. Everything! A better question is probably, what don't I freeze?

We have 1 deep freezer, and 1 upright deep freeze. Along with the one in our fridge.

- 1/4 of a cow. We get it once a year and choose the cuts so we get things we will use. So we have ground beef packaged in 1lb, roasts, beef tips, ribs, and brisket for the smoker.
- 1 whole hog. Pork chops, loin, roasts, ribs, bacon, sausage, ground pork, and brats.
- Chicken. We buy non-hormone chicken cuts. So I buy them in bulk when they're discounted for quick sale, then separate them out into freezer bags, and do 2 to a package since it's just the 2 of us.
- Bread, hot dog/hamburger buns, english muffins. I buy 4 loaves when they're on sale or discounted because it's getting old.
- Tortilla shells. We have Mexican food at least once a week, so I always have these on hand.
- Veggies. I will buy the large 5 pound bag. I also hit up the farmers markets in the summer and buy vegetables we use often. I cut them up and freeze in freezer bags. Also do this with onions and peppers for stir fry, fajitas, breakfast skillet, etc. Do it with ingredients for soups too. So cut and freeze portions of celery, carrots, and onions, along with a couple fresh bay leaves from the garden. Makes it easy to toss together a quick dinner or pot of soup on the weekend.
- Lunch meat and cheese. Also cheese in all forms and variety. Shredded, block, sliced.

I do a lot of homemade things. So we currently have a ton of applesauce frozen from the fall, and when I make lasagna I double the batch and freeze 2 8x8 pans worth for quick dinners.

One thing I really try to watch, is how many times a meat is being thawed and refrozen. It can really change the taste and texture of it, and you run the risk of it being in the "danger zone" too many times for temperature. So I will thaw, cook, and refreeze ground beef. But I will not thaw, form into balls for meatballs, then refreeze the uncooked meat. I have found it tastes funny. So either you will want to make your fresh stuff into something before freezing, or do something that cooks the meat before refreezing.

I'm probably missing a bunch of stuff that we freeze, but right now almost 1 entire freezer is full of breastmilk.

I know what you mean! My sister actually had to purchase a second deep freezer because her freezer stash took up the room her H had planned to store a huge beef order they got. It's so worth it. I remember how much room we had in our freezer after my stash was used (I had a 4 month supply in the freezer when I stopped pumping). Great job!!

Haha. We were going to get a 2nd upright to store all of this in, then get rid of our 1970's one that freezer burns anything not packaged tightly. But I was able to reorganize things a bit, and we ate up all of our premade things to create some more space.
It's been so weird, because usually I'm a freezer packrat and am constantly prepping and freezing things, but I haven't had the space to do so for about 3 months now.

It will all be used up by February anyways, because I'm going to start weening now. So thankfully it's just going to be a short period of time.

Our deep freezer was delivered today!

Re: Our deep freezer was delivered today!

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