| |

A Freezer May Change My Life

Well, I never thought I’d say something like this, but a freezer may change my life.

I may be thanking the management here for suggesting I get one because of the minimal amount of space in my refrigerator freezer.

The guys brought it around 9:30 yesterday morning. One guy leveled it and then set the temperature and said it was good to go in 24 hours. He said that I should give it that much time to run first.

In A Freezer May Change My Life, I now have an upright freezer sitting like a hulk in my dining room.

He told me I might think about ordering something to put under the freezer in case a little water came out on the carpet.

So I ordered one on Amazon. I had no idea they actually make a pad that goes underneath a freezer. But then I’ve never had a freezer before.

I tipped them with what money I had on hand and sat looking at that giant thing in my dining room.

Where I do tablescapes and vignettes and take photos.

It looked like the Incredible Hulk in freezer form, though it’s not really all that big. Those two boys carried it all the way from the parking lot rather than put it on a dolly.

Best Laid Plans:

Last night I had planned to have a fish fillet from the freezer, via Gorton’s Fishermen, scalloped potatoes, and green beans with salad. That’s if I managed to be able to be on my feet that long.

But around suppertime, I was feeling a little queasy, probably due to Miss Ivy’s earlier antics, which I’ll go into in a bit. So I opted to see if I could be on my feet long enough to just make scrambled eggs and toast.

I broke the eggs and sloshed almond milk over them, pouring out a bit too much. So I mixed in a couple more eggs to get it to a reasonable consistency. That made four, yes four scrambled eggs for me to eat.

I sat down at the table and stared down at that plate full of scrambled eggs and thought: If I was queasy before, this will probably topple me over the edge.

Light Bulb Moment:

Then I had a light bulb moment. I’d been researching what you can put in a freezer for hours that afternoon. I managed to miss looking up scrambled eggs, but I was pretty sure it would be okay.

After a quick Google search, I found I was right. I could eat what I wanted and freeze the rest of the scrambled eggs. They were put in a freezer in a baggie.

The young man left me with a user guide for the freezer, and it says to wash it with baking soda and water before using it. But I figured I could finally put my back/ankle ice packs in safely along with a baggy of leftover scrambled eggs.

Then I thought, I’ll have to leave that freezer open for some time to wash it and it’s already running. So I looked up why you need to clean it first, and it said food might absorb odors inside.

I didn’t smell anything, and I figured the manual probably meant before it was hooked up. The delivery guy had plugged it in right away. So it was a bit late for that.

Do You Ever Put More On Your Plate Than You Can Eat?

Raise your hand if you’ve put more on your plate than your tummy can eat, and ended up throwing it away. Oh, have I!

But this freezer could change all that. Before, I barely had room to freeze a few TV dinners and maybe a loaf of bread.

The freezer is actually taller than my refrigerator on the other side of the wall, though it’s hard to tell in the below photo.

Upright freezer on other side of the wall from my refrigerator.

Hulk that it is, I can save a lot of food with this thing.

Washing Plastic Baggies:

Earlier yesterday, I read on this woman’s blog that her mother always cleaned used plastic baggies and saved them for another day.

Well, I do that as well.

I don’t see any reason to toss a perfectly good baggie unless it’s had meat or something stain-able in it. So I squeeze a little dish detergent into it, run water over it, and usually leave it overnight.

Plastic Baggie + Paper Towel:

Then the next day I take a paper towel and wipe down the outside and what I can get to of the inside. Those small ones are kind of hard to fit your hand into.

Then I ball up the paper towel and leave it in there. And lo and behold, by the next day that little baggie looks dry and brand new.

I don’t know if this is due to air drying or the balled up paper towel working some sort of magic. But I feel proud of myself for having saved a bit of money by reusing the baggie.

How many of you save and wash baggies?

What Can You Put Into A Freezer:

I’ve been looking up the foods you can freeze. Milk, butter, all kinds of things I wouldn’t have thought of.

I’m still paying off what I call “my expensive chair,” which is the Relax The Back recliner. And now I’ll be paying for a freezer that, after taxes, etc., came to $737.90.

I have 6 months to pay them both off. So saving a bit here and there always helps.

Are Air Fryers The Same As Convection Ovens?

I learned something else yesterday while skimming blogs I found from Pinterest. I’d been thinking about one day getting an air fryer, wondering if it might simplify my life in some way.

Then I read that I essentially already have an air fryer. Only it’s called a convection toaster oven, which I use every single day.

My Kitchenaid toaster oven, that I purchased in 2020 and cannot stop singing the praises of, is not small so it doesn’t cook as fast. But the upside of that is that I can cook more at a time.

Seems you wouldn’t be able to get much food in an air fryer, but I’ve only seen them online.

Cooking With A Stove:

I have used my oven one time since moving in here well over a year ago. Once.

Now I do occasionally scramble a few eggs on the cook top, but that’s it. It’s just another hulk setting there gathering dust.

You may remember that I gave up my stove at the old apartment so I could fit a European style washing machine in my kitchen.

So it’s not like I’m accustomed to using one anymore. I lived there 8 years and only used the microwave and countertop toaster oven to cook food. Never once did I miss that stove.

Why A Freezer May Change My Life:

I might get downright carried away on this subject. Because once I go down a rabbit hole, I go WAY down the rabbit hole and have a tough time navigating my way back.

For one thing, I’d like to try some of those freezer meals the food bloggers are always going on about.

This is a site called Freezer Meals 101 that goes into much detail about freezer foods. I’m especially interested in the section about making freezer meals for one person.

Here are interesting links I ran across regarding freezing food, organization of frozen food, and tips about appliances..

Ivy’s Shenanigans:

Oh, I forgot to tell you about Ivy’s shenanigans yesterday.

And while I’m on the subject of cats, Steve’s daughter’s cat had two strokes over the weekend. I hope he’s okay. He’s around 15 years old I think.

As for Ivy, yesterday I walked into the room and saw that she was on the green sideboard that Greg pushed up to my couch. Of course this was in order to accommodate the freezer.

She was chewing something. I thought she was into the baggie with kitty treats in it.

But her nose was all pink like she’d scraped it. Steve was here and we talked about it. It didn’t make much sense, but maybe she dug into the plastic baggy with her nose till it turned pink. In order to get to the kitty treats inside.

But then he left and I was sitting here in my chair and she was up there again. I called her name because her back was to me. But she didn’t turn around like she usually does. So I got up and went over there.

I knew she wasn’t at the treat baggie again because I’d moved it back to the kitchen.

Ivy & The Decorative Match Boxes:

She was apparently eating at or licking the side of some decorative match boxes.

THIS must have been how she’d scraped her nose.

I wonder if it could have been possible that she could have scraped at the side of that match box till she set herself afire?

Surely not. But now the match boxes are moved as well.

Looking them over, it doesn’t look like she actually took a bite out of the boxes. Maybe Ivy was just licking them???

What on earth is in that striking part of a match box that would attract a cat?

{This post contains affiliate links}

1Shares

I'm Brenda, creator of Cozy Little House. I live with my cat, Ivy, who keeps me laughing. I graduated from journalism school with a degree in professional writing and won awards for feature writing. I practice gratitude and enjoy my solitude. The glass is always half-full.

Similar Posts

31 Comments

  1. I don’t freeze a lot, but I should. We had a huge one growing up and my mom bought things in bulk. The only thing that lives in my freezer regularly is ice cream!!

  2. Raising my hand as one who re-uses baggies!
    Enjoy your freezer! I had to laugh when I thought, I bet Brenda will find a way to decorate it! I freeze everything – right now, aside from the obvious meat, chicken, frozen pizzas, and ice cream, I’ve got leftover fruit to use in smoothies, soup, butter, leftover cookies and cakes, nuts, flax meal,frozen waffles, bagels, and smoked salmon. Here’s a tip my cousin gave me, and I swear by it. When freezing bread, wrap it in foil, and put in a ziploc. The bread tastes so much better when it’s defrosted!

  3. When I make soups I put a cupful in baggies and place them flat in the freezer. Very thin and you can stack a bunch of them. Once I made the mistake of wiping them with a damp cloth before I froze them and they stuck together due to being wet, so dry them off first. When I’m ready to eat them it’s okay if I don’t plan ahead, just run an inch of warm water in the sink and they’ll thaw in minutes. My cat Dizzy likes to lick the inside of an earthenware pot on my coffee table. I don’t know if it’s the rough texture or the taste of the clay that he likes. I too was wondering if the freezer would work over in the corner by the kitchen window.

  4. Matches have phosphorus on them, it is a mineral that helps the ignition process when lighting a match, it is the red substance at the tip of a match. I had a hunch, so I looked up whether cats like matches and lo and behold, I found out that cats need phosphorus in their diet, along with calcium. Ivy is more than likely getting the amount she needs from her diet because you take good care of her but she may have been attracted to the scent of the matches. But if you want to be on the safe side, a blood test would tell a vet whether Ivy has the necessary phosphorus and calcium she needs.

  5. Wow, that’s a big freezer! For some reason, I thought you’d be getting a small one…like maybe a small chest freezer. Our bottom freezer on our refrigerator doesn’t hold much, so we have an upright freezer in the basement. I use it for meats, breads, frozen veggies, extra nuts, extra butter, and freezer containers (bought on Amazon) of leftovers. Brian takes those to work for meals if we don’t have any leftovers from the night before. Things like homemade soups and chili freeze well.

    I had no idea that a toaster convection oven works the same as an air fryer! I have one (the toaster convection oven), too. Never had a desire for an air fryer, but at least now I know that I can use my toaster oven as one, if I ever want to try it.

    Yes, I re-use plastic baggies (after washing them) when I can. I also purchased silicone reusable zippered “baggies” on Amazon, which I try to use more often that plastic baggies. I wash and re-use foil, too.

  6. I purchase frozen vegetables and pour out the amount want to eat into a bowl, add a tiny amount of water, and microwave it for 2 or 3 minutes. Then place the remaining bag of vegs into a freezer bag and place in the freezer. Same thing with frozen chicken breast. Take one out, and freeze the rest. I cook my chicken breast on a indoor electric grill. I don’t have to stand around watching it cook. Easy breezy clean up too.

  7. As a safety measure, please do purchase a a mat or tray designed for placing under the freezer on carpet. It needs to be on a flat solid surface to prevent overheating and malfunction. Also, mold could grow if any moisture should reach your carpet. It will be so nice for you to have much more space for your premade frozen meals. Enjoy!

  8. I think it is fine to rinse out baggies…but never anything that had meat in it.. I only save ones from breads or bakery items…I freeze soups and leftovers and keep Marie Calendar pot pies on hand for days I am tired…

  9. I remember your fridge in your house, that had the word sticker “ICE’ in black letters with frost on them. I loved that sticker and how it looked. Sure would fit on a freezer. Anyway, the Hulk brought back those memories.
    Enjoy, and fill the freezer with all kinds of goodies. This will make your life easier for sure. Oh, I rinse and reuse baggies too, there is always another use for them..

    1. I LOVED that ICE sticker and have looked for it everywhere. I originally bought it on Etsy but a few years ago I looked again and that seller no longer sells there. I’ve Googled the ICE sticker, everything. If you can find it, please let me know.

      1. Look at the “bookcase fridge wraps” on etsy. Has “you” all over it!

  10. Schwan’s does home delivery and has wonderful freezer meals. Also you can decorate that freezer cute with a lace tablecloth dropped down the side and over the top with greenery on top. or baskets. lots of options. I decorate the top of mine with small quilts. You are creative. Have fun!!

  11. one comment on reusing baggies. Years ago, I knew a chemist, and she vehemently suggested NOT reusing baggies at all! She said once used to store any sort of food, germs and bacteria develop inside that just can’t be washed out no matter how good you think you washed it! Ever since she told me that, I’ve never ever reused my baggies! Just an FYI! Marilyn

  12. I LOVE your freezer…wish I had the room for one…but I am just grateful for my under the counter one, cause I store my gluten free ingredients and nuts in there and its just perfect and out of the way. BUT IF I could have one like yours, you bet it would save me a lot of trips to the stores, plus when coming upon a sale, one could stock up on things too…good deal Brenda…I think it will help you immensely!! So are you considering asking the apts to remove your stove now? I have only used my oven maybe 2 times or so since we moved here almost a year ago…I store pots and pans in it. My tabletop toaster oven does just fine for us 2 or when daughter comes, plenty of room for that much food, plus 2 levels to put stuff on to bake.

    1. The freezer wouldn’t work where the stove is because the microwave is built in above it.

  13. Here’s a new rabbit hole for you – check out fridge wraps. Etsy has quite a few, but a google search will turn up zillions more.

  14. 🙋🏻‍♀️ Yes, I save and reuse zip bags. It’s better for the environment. We’ve also started using shop towels instead of paper towels. Just for stuff like washing hands (and dying out zip locks.) We just throw them in with our whites load, so we don’t use extra water to wash them. I keep a stack of them out on the counter. It may not look attractive but it’s practical!

    1. It is practical. Having a pet, though, I love having my paper towels. Like for when Ivy throws up.

      1. Oh yes, definitely need paper towels for animal pickups! (I’ve started using handkerchiefs, too!)

  15. I love your new freezer and the potential it holds. Fill it up in fall and settle back for the winter knowing you’ll never have to go out! In the meantime, make double whatever you cook and enjoy the following week of no food prep!
    Oh Ivy! In the past, my cats have taken to nibbling on oddball items. Charlie currently likes quilting thread. Something I diligently need to hide so what he swallows doesn’t wrap around an intestine.

    1. I don’t know what on earth attracted her to that match box. Just a little bit ago, she was licking the cutting board the matches were setting in a bowl on.

  16. how wonderful to have more freezer storage! Why not change your smoothy bar location & put the freezer out of sight there? Maybe maintenance could move it.

    I’ve always wanted a side by side fridge freezer. I hate the little rectangles – so hard to organize & too small for 21st century living!

    Ivy not turning around when you called her is funny. She is a very curious cat! Mine was not the adventurous type except on short supervised visits outdoors.

  17. Enjoy your new freezer aka Hulk, Brenda! I think you’d enjoy decorating it along with putting yummy food inside. Hang a lovely wreath on the front and maybe a plant and some other tidbits on the top! Just food for thought – no pun intended. LOL
    That Ivy Lou sure enjoys finding “toys”.
    Enjoy Monday, Brenda!

  18. I freeze leftover soups in small washed out sour cream or dip containers so it’s just enough to pull out for a lunch. You will find many uses for your freezer. I didn’t know how to properly wash out baggies so I will do what you said works from now on, thanks!

Comments are closed.