Freezer in garage

[Blankiefan]

We're considering a garage freezer to encourage more batch cooking. Has anyone gotten one and actually stuck to the extra cooking / reduced shopping? By tips for not ending up with an empty freezer or worse - a freezer full of spag bol and chilli that never gets eaten (We're awful for forgetting to take stuff out of the freezer and that's in the kitchen!!)

We put a freezer in the garage two years ago and it's honestly one of the best things we've done.
I batch cook so much more and can take much more advantage of yellow sticker stuff, reduced bread, M&S dine in deals etc.
We got an upright style that's specifically for a garage.
Trick is to label stuff and keep an inventory - mine is just a handwritten list on the inside of a kitchen cabinet so I know what I've got when I meal plan.
Would really recommend you do it. It's such a joy having occasional batch cooking days then having lovely home cooked food to just thaw and heat.

Second freezer is essential on our house too. Filled with handy meals. We make extra portions of nearly every meal that's freezable. Ours is in a shed though. We get soaked going out to it in winter.

We got one years ago for the fruits of the garden and things we make with them. It's one residual fir the garage in that it can take colder temps. It has drawers and oh makes a list of what's in the garage freezer so that we don't forget. In summer I've kept extra bags of ice in it!

Def get one with drawers. My parents have a massive chest one. God only knows what's in the bottom of it. Shergar probably.

We use ours a lot. Saves waste. Means there is always a "ready meal" (as in leftovers, we've put in there) for the dc to take to work, or when just haven't got time to cook.
If you already have stuff like that in the freezer you have and never take it out though, I'm not sure having a 2nd one will make you do that....?

I have a chest freezer in the garage (inside wall, so no temperature problems) and it gives you such freedom.
Ice cream or celebration cakes when you can’t be bothered to make dessert.
Batch cooked meals, prepped veg, pizza, chips, leftovers, soft fruits, soup mixes, meat/bread/butter that you know you won’t get round to using but still in date. The list goes on...
I keep all my freezer blocks and the ice cream maker in the garage freezer, plus single serving treats for my diet if the others are having a treat that I can’t eat.

Yes, things can get lost in there (I once found an 18-month old Christmas dinner for one AND ATE IT!), you need to label things clearly (egg whites instead of lemon juice). Just find a system that works for you.
About lack of inspiration when you open the freezer. I agree with Nigella who thinks that every time you sort past something in the freezer it’s as though you’ve consumed it, so after passing it over for the 20th time you simply can’t face eating it.

Same as Trashcanoracle.

We have an America Fridge Freezer in the kitchen so the freezer compartment is tiny. We have always had a larder freezer in the garage. It is a Beko and specifically stated it could be kept there.

We shop at Costco so bring home 1 pack of chicken breast which contains 12-13 breasts so we freeze them, same with minced steak at 2.5kg, gallon freezer bag, roll flat (defrosts quicker) and freeze. Label everything. Roast down peppers, onions, courgettes, tomatoes etc for a med veg pack to go with salmon or chicken. Portion and freeze.

Agree with any reduced items, or large tubs of ice-cream, freezer packs and desserts. If you meal plan you will know to remove something from the freezer and don't forget you can make bases for sauces which you can add to to change it ie basic tomato sauce for a pizza base or once defrosted add in more garlic, basil/oregano for pasta. I am making baked ziti tomorrow night for dinner, so spag bol sauce from freezer.

My rule of thumb is make 3, when making a meal for tonight triple up the recipe and freeze 2. Don't forget foil trays for lasagne rather than using up your dishes from the kitchen and ziplock bags, gallons and quarts.

Thanks all. I like the idea of a list and labelling. With our current set up, we don't label and if we defrost something, it's often "freezer surprise"!

Do you just take out things the night before and defrost in the fridge?

Yes I have one and love it. Have always had a freezer outside. I have got a small integral freezer in the kitchen for ice cream, smoothie fruit and frozen peas!

Everything else is in a 7ft freezer in the garage. Without it I wouldn’t be able to buy things on offer much because I wouldn’t have the room.

Now that the autumn is here I buy foil trays from Lakeland and batch cook.

Not massively convenient in my new house as the garage is round the corner but I manage.

I could actually fit it in the kitchen but don’t want to as everything else is built in so trudge to the garage for aesthetics!

Yes to taking things out, or on the day if it will defrost in time.

Yes we have one in the garage, we use it as 'overflow' from the large kitchen freezer. It's currently full of ice lollies and reduced meat.

We have one. the storage space is handy.... however its a massive pain in the arse to get stuff as it's at the bottom of the garden so often we forget to take things out to defrost etc.
When I get my new kitchen I'm going to go for a larder freezer in the kitchen as I think that will be more useful

I always label things with the date as well.

DH often flies back from business trips last thing on a Friday so having whole dishes ready to defrost (chilli and rice for example) is a godsend.

We have three freezers and a fridge in our shed

Our garage is a bit of a traipse down the garden and we live in the rainiest place in the universe.
We've got a normal fridge freezer in the kitchen so I keep a drawer of that one clear. Once a week I take it out to the garage freezer and transfer everything I'm due to use. Saves the pain of remembering it's bolognese tomorrow and I need full waterproof cover to go fetch it!

We had an old fridge freezer in the garage (four freestanding walls), no problem. Upgraded to a "frost free" model, and it switched off when the ambient temperature reached 4 degrees, not good in a Yorkshire winter, so it saw out the rest of its life in our dining room.

If you plan to store outside or garage make sure you buy a freezer that can cope we have a Beko and it's great definitely get one with drawers easier to store and locate. We have a magnetic white board on ours to show what's in each drawer stuff is crossed off or added to as needed.

I just write on the freezer door in whiteboard pen mommybear1.

you do need to make sure it's a suitable freezer for outside, but other than that it's already been said

label and list!! and meal plan.

I would hate to be without mine tbh.

What makes s freezer suitable for outside? I have had one outside for about eighteen years without knowing that not all freezers are suitable for outside.

it's the range of temperature they will work in....lots only function correctly at room temperature so in the winter in an unheated out house/shed/garage they just stop working!

I bought a Beko as they will work in an unheated garage. It's frost free too which the previous one certainly wasn't. I have an exercise book and in theory write down everything that goes in the freezer. I sort it out every four months or so for all the stuff that I didn't write down. I label everything that goes in (in theory) because I've had too many meals of freezer surprise, the worst being the pie that was rhubarb not meat.

Well mine must be OK then .... by sheer luck. My first one lasted 15 years, I binned it because I moved house and it was a bit rusty and decrepit after being in an old barn for so long.

Rhubarb pie always makes me think of Mr McGregor!