A Freezer May Change My Life
This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through links on my site, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
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.
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.
But around suppertime, I was feeling a little queasy. So I opted to make scrambled eggs and toast.
I broke the eggs and sloshed almond milk over them, accidentally pouring out a bit too much. So I mixed in a couple more eggs to give it a better consistency.
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.
The young man who delivered the freezer left a user guide for the freezer. It says to wash the inside of the freezer with baking soda and water before using it.
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 done that!
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.
Hulk that it is, I can save a lot of food with this thing.
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.
Here are the foods that The Kitchn lists as freezer friendly:
- Bacon
- Cooked rice, grains, or beans
- Homemade stock
- Dumplings
- Bread
- Sausages
- Shrimp
- Soups, stews, chilis, or sauces
- Vegetables
- Tortillas
I also keep bacon in the freezer as well as tortillas and bread. When my groceries are delivered, I put these foods in the freezer right away.
With bacon, I freeze three slices together. I like to have raisin bread with scrambled eggs for supper when I can’t think of anything else. You just take the frozen bread from the bag and remove how many pieces you want to eat.
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..
- 15 Freezer Friendly Foods
- The Most Important Tool For An Organized Freezer
- How To Organize Your Deep Chest Freezer
- Storing Food In The Freezer
- 150 Easy Freezer Meal Recipes
- How To Store Food In A Freezer
- 13 Bad Habits That Are Killing Your Appliances (including your freezer)
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 had somehow gotten into the baggie with kitty treats inside.
But her nose was all pink like she’d scraped it. Steve was here and we discussed this mystery. We couldn’t figure out how she’d managed to scrape her nose.
But then he left and I was sitting here in my chair and she was up there on the green sideboard 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 to her.
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 scraped her nose.
I wonder if she could inadvertently set herself afire?
Surely not. But now the match boxes are moved as well. Hidden in a drawer in my kitchen. Ivy hasn’t figured out how to open drawers.
Looking them over, it doesn’t look like she actually took a bite out of the boxes. Maybe Ivy was somehow attracted to the striking surface on the side of the box.
I looked it up to see what it was made of. A striking surface consists of sand, powdered glass, and a chemical called red phosphorus.
The question is: why would that attract the attention of a cat? Once again. Ivy is just full of surprises.
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!!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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…
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..
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.
Look at the “bookcase fridge wraps” on etsy. Has “you” all over it!
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!!
I hadn’t thought of Schwan’s. I’ll look into that. Thanks!
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
Thanks for telling me. Do you think putting them in the dishwasher might help?
No, the heat of the dishwasher and strength of the water jets would make them disintegrate.
Baggies are safe to re-use depending on certain factors:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/healthy-tips/are-ziploc-bags-to-go-containers-safe-to-reuse
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.
The freezer wouldn’t work where the stove is because the microwave is built in above it.
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.
Oh, I’m excited to go down another rabbit hole. Thanks!
🙋🏻♀️ 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!
It is practical. Having a pet, though, I love having my paper towels. Like for when Ivy throws up.
Oh yes, definitely need paper towels for animal pickups! (I’ve started using handkerchiefs, too!)
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.
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.
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.
Well, I hadn’t thought of that spot. Hm. I’ll have to think about that.
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!
Love all the ideas! I’ve thought of those floral decals.
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!
Great idea for soups!