How to Load a Chest Freezer

Store steaks and other meat in the bottom of your chest freezer.

Arranging frozen food in your chest freezer can seem like a brainless task, but knowing where to put food for the most efficient performance is essential. Properly loading items in your freezer helps you find common items fast. For those who store large quantities of food, it is essential to load the food in common groups. Arranging food items together in boxes and by temperature requirements improves peak freezing efficiency.

Things You'll Need

• Boxes
• Freezer baskets

Instructions

1. Load large or odd-shaped items in the bottom of the freezer. This is the largest area of the chest and allows for the most efficient use of space. If you have to move a large item every time you go to the freezer, you run the risk of losing the proper temperature.

2. Place your meat items in the bottom of the chest. The bottom is the coldest part of a chest freezer and will keep meat items fresh longer. For example, create a stack for steaks, roasts and stew meat. Create similar separate areas for pork, poultry and fish. Be sure to label and date all packages.

3. Leave a small space between packages to allow for air circulation.

4. Use cardboard boxes or freezer compartments to group similar foods in the midsection of the freezer. For example, store all your vegetables in one box and all your dairy products in a separate box. This not only helps you to find food quickly, but it also prevents cross contamination and speeds cleaning the freezer.

5. Store your short-storage items such as ice cream, bread and rolls near the top of the chest. This is the area of the freezer that is easiest to access and reduces the amount of time the lid is open. Use freezer baskets to hold your convenience food close to the top of the chest.

6. Move old food items to the top of their area when you load new food items. This ensures the oldest food is consumed first.

Tips & Warnings

• Load the chest freezer full for the most efficient freezing.

References

• Oregon State University Extension: Freezing Convenience Foods
• Help With Cooking: Introducing Food into the Freezer