Get your freezer back on track

And now for something completely different: usually we think of decluttering as something that deals with stuff that makes us stumble, or that we cannot bear to see any longer, right? I’ve written about those at length, and I’ve also written about something I call ‘Small Places’, the spots that are created by awkward placement of furniture or that are just odd corners somewhere in the home attracting small-ish bits of clutter that never move again. Add to this the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ idea and what you end up with is … a freezer!

Think about how this works: you might have cooked too much by accident … let’s freeze it. You are preparing food to freeze because it’s convenient for days when time is running short … into the freezer. You buy frozen food because it’s easier to use prepared things … store it in the freezer. There are lots of good reasons to freeze things, but just like any other kind of stuff we add to our homes, we are quick to add, and very slow to remove.

The two pertinent questions to ask are these:

• “do you know what’s in your freezer?”
•  “Is it still good?”

I bet that most of you will not be able to recall much of what’s in there with any level of certainty. Yes, of course we know more or less what’s in there, but do we really? I dare you tell me what’s in there and how long it has been there!

Why is this so hard? Because it’s one of those spots where we ‘dump’ things for later, just in case… and then quickly lose track of it. If you have any doubts at this point, here is my three step program to get your freezer back on track.

Can you identify what is in the package?

There is not much point in keeping anything you cannot identify: you are unlikely to eat something if you don’t know what it is. Throw it out and make space for something you WILL actually use.

Remember: "Nobody likes mystery meat."

Can you tell how old it is?

Even though freezers are meant to preserve food indefinitely, the quality of foodstuffs degrades after some time, and those times can be surprisingly short. A couple of examples for properly prepared and adequately packaged items:

• Fruits and Vegetables: 8-12 Months
• Poultry: 6-9 Months
• Fish: 3-6 Months
• Ground Meat: 3-4 Months
• Cured or Processed Meat: 1-2 Months

If your treasure is not properly labelled with description and date, you’ll be hard put to identify it and dispose of it in time.

Remember: "Frozen foods don't stay good forever."

If it is still good, are you likely to use it?

Some things may only be in your freezer because they were leftovers that friends or family have brought for some kind of festivity. If you believe that you won’t use it, why not give it to someone who will, preferably while it is still good? Otherwise, those bits will just take up space and will be thrown out sometime in the future.

Remember: "Don't feel obliged to freeze just about anything."

Lessons to be learned:

• Always package appropriately.
• Always label with content and date.
• Only freeze what you are likely to actually use up.
• Read up on expiry dates for frozen goods.
• Don’t forget to declutter your freezer regularly.
• Most importantly: learn to cook the correct portions!

Now go ahead and check what's in your freezer!

If you have enjoyed reading this, you may find these other articles interesting:

• Out of sight saga: Attics
  
• The art of kitchen drawers
  
• Clutter Hack: rummaging through the kitchen