Question about freezing extra food

[greygirl]

so I have started to make double when i cook so i have extra for later in the week (as all good MNetters do)

My question is:
When you freeze extra food (spare portions/leftovers/prepared for next week) - how do you label it in the freezer?
do you write on the plastic tub? stick a sticky label on it? write with a pen?
and if so - how do you get the writing off after (when it is no longer bolognaise but now stewed plums) or the labels or the pen?

i know this sounds daft but i keep defrosting things to find they are not quite what i thought (most of my frozen meals are of the bolognaise/chilli variety), and it's a little annoying.

So how do you very organised people manage?

thank you for your help.

I freeze in tupperware, then once frozen I knock the brick of frozen food out and put it in a freezer bag on which I write the contents and date.

That way the 'bricks' stack nicely, but you don't need shares in lock and lock to freeze lots of food.

we tend to freeze sauces (chilli, bolognese, cheese) in freezer bags and then the bags get thrown away after defrosting. It can still be a guessing game as to whether something is chilli or bolognese - I have to examine them for kidney beans/peppers to be sure which is which.

I use a combination of those mentioned - I freeze in a box lined with a bag so I end up with a frozen block that stacks.

I tend not to label but put mince mixes in one corner of the freezer, complete meals in another etc. I tend to freeze things separately as I find they microwave defrost better then make up once defrosted i.e. I'll freeze mash in small portions and mince in portions that way if I want to turn it into shepards pie or spag bol or add some beans and chilli to spice it up.

Having said all that we have occasionally defrosted apple pie that I thought was chicken and ham pie etc.

I freeze in boxes and then transfer to bags, labelled with sticky label and pen I got from Poundland.

I have some permanent, nothing will shift this, marker pens and write directly on the tub.
It usually lasts while in the freezer and then washes off pretty well .

My other top tip is to put sweetcorn in your chilli con carne - it's the best was of distinguishing it from spag bol in the freezer.

i like the 'feeze in a bag and a box' method. (i am getting short of plastic boxes).
will invest in lables and pen and try on next cooking event.

ANTagony, that is a brilliant idea.

'freeze in a bag' and labels even....