I did something bananas: I mapped out the entire contents of my freezer. Here's why

I like to cook. I really do. My husband and I are are proud members of both Costco and Sam’s. If something like short ribs or chicken thighs are on sale, I buy in bulk and freeze it.

So why does our credit card suggest we lean heavily on takeout most weeknights … and ignore what we already have?

The problem was painfully obvious: too often I fail to take that next step and actually plan a meal around the items in my freezer. It all felt so wasteful — and costly.

The answer was obvious. I needed a battle plan.

I know that what I did next is going to sound ... intense. But if you made it this far, just hear me out. Here are the extreme steps I took to finally bring some order to one of the most disorganized spots in my home: The freezer.

Step 1: I pulled it all out

I emptied the contents of my kitchen’s side-by-freezer onto my kitchen counters. And then I stared in horror at the crumbs, smears, drips (and, um, some tufts of dog hair at the foot of the door) that remained. So gross!! I gave it all a quick wipe down, and scrubbed the shelves. Ah. That felt good. I did the same thing with the 20-year-old freezer we are lucky enough to have in the garage.

I pulled everything out of my freezer and itemized it on a spread sheet. The goal: Less waste, and saved money on takeout. So far, it's working.

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Rene Lynch

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LAist

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As I went through each item, I checked the expiration dates, level of freezer burn — and the likelihood that either my husband or I would actually eat it. Luckily, most of it was still good.

Step 2: I documented it all

As I did my “stay or go” evaluation, I added the item's name to a simple list before tucking everything back haphazardly into the freezer.

Then, I called it a day. And I ordered takeout for dinner for a job well done.

C’mon, I wasn’t going to cook after all that housework!

Step 3: How I organized it all

Now: organizing it all. I'd done a little bit of internet sleuthing about how to best do this. But everything I found was all about creating a freezer aesthetic, with matching bins and beautiful labels, so pristine and organized like a Jenga game. I admit I envied those IG and TikTok accounts … but that’s not our life.

And that’s when I had an epiphany: I realized our challenge was figuring out how to best organize our inventory list, and not the freezer shelves.

The reality is, we are going to shove stuff into the freezer wherever we find room.

This freezer won't stand out on TikTok. But I know exactly what's inside, and where. And yes, that is a lot of butter.

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Rene Lynch

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LAist

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Step 4: A master list

To start with, I tried to imagine how I’d actually use this information. Probably by asking myself questions like, “What can I make for dinner?” and “I swear I thought we had some ice cream … “

So I organized my inventory list according to these categories because it made the most sense to me:

• Main entrees & proteins (Such as chicken, fish, green chili tamales etc.)
• Carbs (bread, corn tortillas, waffles, etc.)
• Fruits and veggies (Frozen bags of spinach and strawberries, etc.)
• Sweets (ice cream, cookies, leftover slices of banana bread, etc.)
• Staples & Misc. (A jar of homemade pesto, walnuts, etc.)

Step 5: When and where

I was feeling pretty good about my work so far, but I knew I wasn’t done. Knowing a particular item is in the freezer is one thing.

Knowing precisely where it is, is something else entirely.

So I created a freezer map, a legend of the different areas, or "zones," in my two freezers. I listed out every single freezer shelf and drawer. In the end, I had a whopping 16 zones. The side-by-side kitchen freezer, for example, has 10 zones: three shelves on the door, six shelves, and a lower drawer. So right there, that’s 10 different places where something could be hiding out.

Why all these persnickety details? Because the only thing worse than trying to figure out what to make for dinner each day is trying to find the things you want to make for dinner each day.

The idea was to be able to be so detailed and painfully specific that I could call my husband and say, “Can you please grab the Mason jar of marinara sauce out of the freezer so it will defrost in time for dinner? It’s on the kitchen freezer door, middle shelf.”)

So over the course of a few days, I went back through the freezers yet again and reorganized my master list, which my husband kindly turned into a no-frills spreadsheet — sortable by category and location.

My husband created a no-fuss spreadsheet that is sortable by category, and location. A copy in the kitchen means we can scrawl updates on it to maintain our system.

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Rene Lynch

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LAist

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Step 6: Execute 

Now we had to decide WHAT we were going to make with all this stuff. We'd vowed to avoid buying more food for the freezer until we’d worked our way through what we have, so we brainstormed a bunch of super simple easy meals that we could take turns making.

For example, I found two hefty stacks of corn tortillas in the freezer. That means scrambled egg tacos are on the horizon for breakfast, and cheese quesadillas are coming soon for dinner.

I also unearthed a box of Pillsbury pie crusts that I’d forgotten about. So a simple deli ham and cheese quiche and maybe some simple rotisserie chicken hand pies will be in my future.

Some of the stray slices of bread tucked into the freezer have already been turned into homemade croutons.

That leftover marinara sauce? I am going to buy some pre-made meatballs at the deli, a few slices of provolone and two bolillo rolls. So meatball subs and a salad = dinner with zero leftovers.

That salad? I'm realizing leaning heavily into supermarket bagged salads is the way to go.

I got lots of meal mileage out of that pack of long frozen tamales. Here, I had them with a salad for lunch. They also made for a perfect dinner one recent night. And we still have two tamales left!

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Rene Lynch

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LAist

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I've also discovered another way to fill out these meals is the hot salad bar at my local Whole Foods. Their roasted veggies are ah-maze-ing and my husband especially loves the string beans and roasted broccoli.

I bought a small container of those the other night, just enough for dinner for two, and it only cost a few bucks.

I paired that with those green chili tamales that I found in the back of the freezer. They steamed up perfectly in the microwave. I also made some fresh guac with chips.

And just like that, dinner was done with very few dishes.

As we devoured it all after a long work day my husband looked at me and said: “I could eat this once a week.”

That’s the kind of positive feedback that will help me stick to my new freezer system!