Freezer Bag Space Saving Tips
Freezer bags and containers; labeling your bags; Freezing your food upright; Why it’s important to rotate your freezer bags
Here are some freezer bag space saving tips that I have tried and tested over the years. These will save you time when looking for something in particular and also space in your freezer.
It’s one thing to have an organized freezer but the food you freeze also needs to be frozen in a way that maximizes space. Since buying in bulk has become a popular shopping trend, so has the process of freezing food bought or cooked in bulk. Here are some freezer space saving tips.
Bags & Containers used to freeze
I personally use either Ziploc freezer bags (medium and large) which I buy in bulk at Costco or Food Saver rolls. I am aware that these are not the most eco-friendly options out there and I am planning on using other materials once I run out of what I have. For now, these will do.
The Ziploc bags are quick and easy to use being that you don’t need any additional tools to close the bags. You just slid your fingers on the seal and make sure you feel it close correctly. I frequently use these to contain “liquid” or “wet” food items such as soup or even shredded zucchini for instance. Because of the liquid these items contain, I wouldn’t seal these with the Food Saver bags.
The Food Saver bags are ideal for all the rest. I find they seal much better than the Ziploc freezer bags and keep the food items fresher and free of frost bite longer.
Why you should label your bags
Do your best to label your bags. This way, you will be better able to see what you have and how much of it you have in your freezer.
Quick Tip: Make sure to label your bag before you put anything in it. Here is why:
- If the food you put in is cold or hot, your marker or pen may not work as well on your bag which will make it that much harder for your to write on it. If you can’t write properly, you won’t be able to read your own hand writing.
- It’s much easier to write on you “flat” bag before you put anything in it. Once you add items in your bag, it becomes wobbly and roller coaster-like which is not the best to write on. A flat surface is best.
How to label your bags
Here are the three main things you should write on your frozen freezer bags:
- Item description
- Date it was frozen OR Best Until date
- Weight OR Quantity
Item description
It’s very important to label your bags with the name of what they contain. I know what your thinking, “Duh! That’s like freezer bag 101. Why would I not label my bag Sonya”. We’ve all been there where we’ve frozen food in a bag without labeling it thinking “Oh, I’ll remember what it is”. But when the time comes, you actually don’t recognize the food in it…
You can be as specific as you like with your item description. As long as it makes sense to you and the other people in your household, that’s all that counts.
Date it was frozen OR Best Until date
Add a date on your bag. It’s your choice to either write the date the food is bagged and frozen on or you can also write the best-until date on your bag so you know when you should not be eating what’s in it.
Here is the format I use on my bags:
FROZEN (insert date here) (insert item description here)
It may take a few tries to figure out the format you like best. Once that’s determined, try to be consistent. That way, it’s easier for your eyes to find the information you need on your bag.
Weight OR Quantity
To write this on your bag is certainly not mandatory like the above information but can be practical for certain items.
For instance, if you are freezing fresh summer fruits because you know you will be using them in the winter to bake. You may want to write the quantity that’s in your bag to give you an idea of how much you should thaw for a specific recipe.
Same goes for the weight, especially for meat. If you’re following a recipe and it calls for two pounds of ground meat, you would like to know how much you have in a bag. If you are someone that is used to always making the same size bags (for instance for meat like I do) you don’t need to indicate the weight. Unless it’s different from what you normally do, then indicate it.
Feel free to add any other information on your bags. Just as long as it makes the process of identifying your frozen food easy for you.
How to freeze your food to save space
The best way I ever found to freeze food is flat! Yes, you heard right. Here are the amazing advantages of doing so.
By laying your food flat when freezing, it lets you stack it upright once frozen. This makes it so much easier to organize and to date-rotate your frozen food. This is a great freezer space-saving tip!
Quick Tip: Remember to rotate your freezer bags when you add more. Because I lay by bags upright in a container, I always keep the “oldest” frozen bag in the front and the most recent one in the back. This way, I know at a glance what should to be used first.
Freezing your bags flat also give you a quicker thawing time. Since it’s not in a “bunch”, the food thaws quickly and equally.
Other freezing tools
Instead of using bags that cannot be reused, you could certainly use any of these Food Saver containers or even the Ziploc containers. These are washable and re-usable. It’s a much better option for the environment and for your wallet than the bags.
How do you freeze your food? Let me know in the comments and if you liked this post, make sure to share it.
