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Posted: 10/12/2021 11:13:00 AM EDT
Right now everything is all jumbled together
I'd like to have stackable bins of some sort to separate types and cuts of meat
I don't want to dig through 20 pounds of burger to get to a roast
Anyone have products they've used that hold up to the cold?
Link Posted: 10/12/2021 11:21:51 AM EDT
[#1]
Link Posted: 10/12/2021 3:32:29 PM EDT
[#2]
I know they're not ideal, but we went to two separate freezers.

A standup freezer, with a single shelf for meat type: beef, chicken, pork, seafood

And a chest freezer for everything else.

I too, got tired of digging for meats and then forgetting them at the bottom and having to toss them later.
Link Posted: 10/12/2021 3:38:20 PM EDT
[#3]
Prior to my divorce I bought two extra top level wire baskets from the appliance repair store, and then I made a couple of custom boxes for the bottom level.  I haven't bothered to do that for my new freezer, but since I'm the only one using it I'm able to keep it organized.
Link Posted: 10/12/2021 3:52:07 PM EDT
[#4]
I have 6 metal wire baskets that are actually for kids rooms but are great size and work well for my application.  I fifo by grabbing the bottom basket and putting newly purchased meat in that.  

Link Posted: 10/12/2021 3:52:55 PM EDT
[#5]
I use milk crates to sort stuff with one on top being a " quick pick" type of set up. So instead of pulling everything out to get something from bottom I keep an assorted bin of meats at top for ease.


Link Posted: 10/13/2021 5:11:27 AM EDT
[#6]
We have 2 chest freezers one is strictly frozen vegetables and what little processed food we buy and then other is meat. We use milk crates to organize both and while it make organization better it is also a pain to have to pull crates out to get something in the bottom. We’re looking to move to one large vertical for daily use and then a larger chest for longer term rotational storage.
Link Posted: 10/13/2021 7:52:06 AM EDT
[#7]
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Quoted:
I use milk crates to sort stuff with one on top being a " quick pick" type of set up. So instead of pulling everything out to get something from bottom I keep an assorted bin of meats at top for ease.
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I have a vertical style freezer, but my folks have always had a chest style.  For years, dad has used milk crates to separate stuff, then left a small assortment in the top wire racks of what he might typically use over the course of several weeks.  After a few weeks of depleting the wire rack, you have to pull out the rack, pull out another couple of weeks worth of supplies, then reload the rack.  If you take the time to do a decent job organizing the freezer when you first load it, its pretty easy after that.
Link Posted: 10/13/2021 1:56:05 PM EDT
[#8]
Thanks for all the replies
I put a layer of frozen water 1 liter water bottles on the bottom (laying down) and then
put reusable grocery bags on top of the bottles
The bags each hold one type of meat (beef, chicken, pork etc)
My freezer has a raised section where the compressor is and thats where the frozen fruits and veggies go
I also have two plastic bins that came with the freezer that hold stuff we use all the time like ground beef and bacon
My basement fridge has a freezer that holds pre made food (frozen pizza, tater tots) as well as dairy items
Link Posted: 10/15/2021 1:56:14 AM EDT
[#9]
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Quoted:
I've tried stackable bins but I don't like them because the bins themselves take up too much space.
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Quoted:
I've tried stackable bins but I don't like them because the bins themselves take up too much space.


Yep - particularly if each bin isn't 100% full.

After trying various methods of organizing, the best solution I've found is, oddly enough, doubled up paper grocery bags.


Seems like bags (either paper or plastic) in various colors would be just about perfect - The colors would help you find any particular item quickly.

Attachment Attached File


You could also put bunches of these bags into larger plastic mesh bags (commonly used for bagging vegetables, fruit, etc.) to keep like items together without taking up any additional space.

Attachment Attached File
Link Posted: 10/17/2021 10:05:44 AM EDT
[#10]
I use industrial parts bins (easier to find a variety of sizes that fit will in different freezers).

I generally know what I will go through at what ratio so rather than keep it all organized by type, cut, etc, I do all my bins as mixed bins with a variety in them. Any excess goes in the bins on the bottom. IE, in late summer we will have an excess of frozen garden veggies and such so a variety of those gets mixed in the top bins and excess in the lower bins. At any one time I have 3 large bins (each one holds about 80 lbs) of a variety. I will empty a bin and take it out, when I get down to the last bin and I may need something from below the below bins are already exposed.

When we get a need or something I will pull everything out, defrost, clean, then restock all my bins with a variety, putting the non-variety bins of extra on the bottom.
Link Posted: 10/17/2021 5:18:13 PM EDT
[#11]
Link Posted: 10/18/2021 7:56:30 AM EDT
[#12]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
By the freezer, actually.

Burger in 2 freezers, steaks/roasts in 2 more, assorted veggies in another, etcetera in another, general "shopping" stuff in the upright.

yup, 7 freezers. 6 of them are chest freezers, all chest freezers are 7 cu ft.
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Holy carp.
Link Posted: 10/18/2021 11:05:40 AM EDT
[#13]
Boxes have worked fine for me.  Cardboard variety.

I fit 4 pretty big boxes in a 2x2 situation.  1 for pork, 1 for venison, 2 for beef.  One is ground beef, one is steaks/roasts.  Then we have the shelf with some chicken, vegetables, and other random stuff.  

The boxes fit perfectly in my freezer so almost no wasted space.

The key for us has been having a box numbering system top left to right is 1 and 2, bottom is 3 and 4.  Then, on top of the freezer I have two dry erase boards attached with two sided tape.  We take inventory before the boxes go into the freezer and amounts/types of meat gets put on the dry erase boards.  This way we know before even opening the freezer what box we're after or if we even have any more of that type.  Pull the meat out, update the count on the dry erase board, and you're done.  

For venison, we only freeze the backstraps and a couple roasts from each deer.  So there's several deer in that box at any given time.  I bag and  label each deer separately so we eat them in the same order I shoot them.  I just use plastic grocery bags for this.  Tie the handles and staple a paper tag to it.
Link Posted: 10/18/2021 1:22:59 PM EDT
[#14]
Link Posted: 10/19/2021 7:18:27 AM EDT
[#15]
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Quoted:
When you grow your own beef...
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I grow my own too, but there's only so much the fam will eat before they demand something else!  Reminds me of a t shirt I saw years ago that said: Frog legs, cause ya can't eat squirrel every day!
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