What do you keep in your freezer?

[MarkinHouston]

Are white acre peas similar to Lady Cream Peas or purple hulls? Thanks

[snowangel]

In the deep freeze at any given time, at least two deer (cut up and very well marked, including weight of pieces and cut), ice cream treats, lots of butter, and the summer's tomatoes and the odd bag of frozen peas and corn. Oh, and a mess of brats from our fav meat markets.

The upstairs freezer (side by side) -- all sorts of nasty things that are unlabled and never should have been saved, excepting the roasted peppers.

Reminder to self: the freezer is not a safe deposit box.

ETA: My favorite freezer story is when my MIL's died. We'd been married some 20+ years. She called and said that she found the top of our wedding cake. Did we want it? Sure. Did we eat it? No! We tossed it out of a second story window of our house. The thing just shattered, and the squirrels were mighty happy.

Edited September 2, 2009 by snowangel (log)

[lancastermike]

Two things I always have in the freezer are frozen waffles, which for some strange reason I really like, and a jug of my homemade limoncello.

[onrushpam]

Are white acre peas similar to Lady Cream Peas or purple hulls? Thanks

←

White acres are a variety of cream pea, so similar to the Lady Peas. White acres are smaller.

[sheepish]

Upright freezer in room next to kitchen :

Stock.

Bones for making stock. Got a bit of a fish bone backlog going on in there at the moment.

Frozen blackberries - just starting to pick those.

Icecream maker - cheapy one you have to freeze.

Ice

Various ice-creams made for other dishes that really need using up (roquefort, kirsch, apple)

Left over pastry that I have the best intentions for.

Ice packs for dropping in the buckets of brine I'm currently curing ham in.

Little chest freezer in the barn :

About 3/4 of a lamb.

Haggis

Veal shins.

A few pigeons.

Big chest freezer in the barn :

3 pigs. In bits. I don't think I could squeeze another one in there.

[Chris Amirault]

Funny this topic should pop up now, as I just started a massive freezer inventory project to prepare for a year of frugality while my wife is in grad school. I created an online google doc that I'm keeping accurate; I've added dates on prepared items bc I want to use them earlier than others.

Here's the current status downstairs:

Fresh Meats & Fat

2 # seasoned ground beef

3 # cubed sirloin

10 # boneless pork shoulder

4 # boneless lamb shoulder

2 boneless legs of lamb

6 # pork back fat

1 # pork lard

1 # leaf lard

13 oz rendered duck fat

Homemade Prepared Meats

4/08 1.5# andouille

9/08 2# Mergez

9/08 1.5 # hunter sausage

12/08 duck ham

5/09 1 # tasso

5/09 1.5 # kielbasa

8 Chinese sausage (lap cheung)

2# Chinese bacon (lap yuk)

8 oz bacon

5 oz rosemary bacon

2 # pancetta

5 # Cured fresh bacon to smoke (this weekend's project)

Stocks

3 x 4 c bags asian chicken stock

7 x 4 c bags roasted chicken stock

5 x 4 c bags basic chicken stock

2 c veal stock

Homemade Prepared Dishes

8/09 1 # puttanesca sauce

8/09 2 # pasta puttanesca

7/09 Mac and Cheese

8/09 Bean soup

8/09 4 packs lamb stuffed cabbage

1/09 1 serving cassoulet

Purchased Prepared Items

4 # hot dogs (Nathan's)

3 bags dumplings

Grains, Rice, Beans, Pasta, Flour

2 x 2# light brown sugar

1 x 2# dark brown sugar

3 x 2# powdered sugar

4 Kg 00 pasta flour

9 x 2# bags rolled oats

1.5# steel cut oats

2 Kg maseca

6 x 2# bags masa corn

1.5# dark rye flour

1.5 # graham flour

1.5 # whole wheat graham flour

7 # self rising flour

1 # coucous

1.5 # bulgur wheat

2 x 1.5 coarse cornmeal

1.5# corn flour

2 # carnaroli rice

1.5 # posole

1 # beans - pinquitos

.5 # beans - black calypso

2 # soldier beans

1 # garbanzo beans

.5 # mung beans

Butter, Cheeses

12 # unsalted butter

3 x 1# blocks parmesan

3 # milk chocolate

5 # dark chocolate

1 # white chocolate

Nuts

1 # sunflower seeds

8 oz pine nut

10 oz boiled peanuts (for curry sauce)

8 oz sliced almonds

6 oz pecan halves

6 oz pumpkin seeds

1 # apricot kernels

8 oz pistachios

1 # hazelnuts

3 # walnuts

Misc

4 tart dough rounds

2 x bag uncooked coconut

2 lb dried apricots

12 oz frozen cranberries

3 # dextrose

8 oz guar gum

8 oz xantham gum

1 pkg Bactoferm M-EK-4 (mold culture)

1 pkg Bactoferm F-RM-52 (fermenting culture)

1/2 # pink salt

some salmon cure & generic cure mix

ETA I also have about 50 different spices, herbs, and chile peppers in the downstairs freezer -- keep track of them on another list. Upstairs is pretty much limited to current use items and to cocktail ingredients (Tovolo ice cube trays, lots of glasses, etc.) CA

Edited September 2, 2009 by chrisamirault (log)

[qrn]

About half of my freezer is filled with film and photographic materials.

That s great! I just looked ,and I have a bunch of Kodachrome Ectachrome and Kodacolor in 120 and 35 that I had forgotten about...Gonna have to drag out the Linhoff and stuff ,and take some real pictures!

Bud

[kismet59]

Wow...you guys have some great stocked up fridges!

In my kitchen fridge I have the

stock makings bags - meat-veg scraps

basil

ice cream

frozen corn and peas

and frozen can cooler holder things to keep canned soda and beer icy

In the chest freezer I have -

Frozen pasta

stock cubes and tubs

chops and roast butchered down from a whole loin of pork

Filet and tips from a whole beef tenderloin

Amish Friendship bread starter (I ran out of friend before I ran out of starter

I'm slacking off here!

[kismet59]

Various ice-creams made for other dishes that really need using up (roquefort, kirsch, apple)

OK, I would LOVE the recipe for the roquefort and kirsch ice creams.

[onrushpam]

I think Chris wins the prize!!! Amazing!!!

[Chef Fowke]

I think Chris wins the prize!!!  Amazing!!!

←

No kidding - WOW! Thats more stuff and a better inventory system then at my restaurant.

[Chris Amirault]

After tossing too many things from back-of-the-freezer death and buying doubles of too many other things bc I didn't realize I had them on hand already, I've gone against form and become extremely anal about freezer organization lately. We'll see how it goes: best laid plans of mice and men... all that.

[clareskitchen]

I prepare alot of produce for use in recipe testing, so I have a few freezers (two above fridges, one small one for the item I'm about to mention, and a large produce one). Most of my stuff is the usual suspects, but there is one frozen article that's probably a bit different.

Cane toads.

They are a pest that verges on plague proportions here in north Australia, and as well as being highly toxic if touched on their glands or eaten by predators, they bump local frogs out of their habitats. People dispose of them in all sorts of ways (mostly not particularly humane) but my approach is the kindest. Put on disposable rubber gloves, go out into the garden, grab the buggers that are flopping around, and pop them into a biodegradable bag and into the cane toad freezer. Then they make their way to toad tip heaven on the next week's council garbage pick up!

[snowangel]

Just discovered. Three empty boxes that once held ice cream treats. How do I make my family realize that the freezer, cabinets and cupboards are not storage space for recyclables?

[Gardengal]

Only food and ice in my freezer... ah, with the exception of something that hubby has placed in there and labeled "bait". I'm afraid to ask the specific contents! Most of the actual stuff is processed wild game and veggies from the garden.

[ruthcooks]

From mid-October to mid-December of 2009, I was having severe pain due to inflammation, and had difficulty dressing, bathing, driving and cooking due, as it turned out, to inflammation. Finally, my doctor put me on a low dose of Prednisone which immediately took away all pain. There are lots of side effects to this, including sending my blood sugars into the stratosphere, and he told me that I could only stay on it for 3 to 6 months. Most people do not have a reoccurance of this pain when the course of treatment is over, but I don't usually react like most people.

Since I have been feeling OK, I have undertaken to fill my freezer with ready to eat meals, a lot of soups since I like soup in the winter. Now the freezer is full, with about 35 meals plus all the other stuff I keep in there (like about 15 kinds of flour). Now I think I must have jumped the gun, as the stuff will never be in great condition if I go the full 6 months. So while everyone else is cleaning out, I have been filling up. Here's what's in my small upright:

Freezer. January 27, 2010 (Ready to eat in caps)

Top Shelf:

Bacon 3 lbs.

Catfish Filets

Chicken Thighs

Flat Iron Steak 2

Ground Pork 2

Hamburger

Kielbasa

Large bag of shrimp

Pork Chops

Pork stir fry

Salami

Sausage Patties 2

Scallops

Shrimp for Cocktail 1

Smoked Salmon

BEEF SOUP 1

CARROT-ONION SOUP 1

SHRIMP BISQUE 1

SLOPPY JOES

SMOKED CHICKEN

Second Shelf

Berry Mix

Blackberries

Blueberries

Brussels Sprouts

Carrots for Pudding 2

Chopped onions

Cranberries, lots

Italian beans

Lemon Juice Cubes

Lima beans

Mangoes

Peaches

Peas

Strawberries

CHILI 6

GREEN BEAN CASS. 2

MATZO BALL SOUP 10

TURKEY & GRAVY 3

TURKEY & OYSTERS 3

Third Shelf

Apples, dried

Apricots, dried

Black Cocoa

Butter 5 lbs.

Candied Fruit

Cheese Mex. Grated 3

Cheese, Parm. 1

Chocolate for baking

Cookie Dough 2-15

Currants

Dulce de Leche

Egg Whites

Nuts, Pecans

Pie shells 3

Prunes

Yeast

CHINESE DINNERS 2

ECLAIRS

Bottom Shelf

Bread crumbs

Croutons

Ice packs

Roll dough

Sourdough loaves 3

Door

Anise Seed

Caraway Seed

Clam juice

Dill weed

Flours

Non-fat dry milk

Nuts, misc.

Nuts, walnuts

Popcorn

Poppy seed

Sesame seed

Smoked Paprika

Refrigerator

White bread

I've decided to start using those dinners, replacing with a new one when I've eaten 4 or 5. So it's chili tonight, since it was 20 degrees this morning.

[Doodad]

I got laid off yesterday so yes we will be stocking up and looking to store while we still have an income stream.

[nibor]

I had to go on a clear liquid diet for a while, and was apprehensive about hunger, about not feeling well enough to cook, etc. The options are all so sugary. So ahead of time I made a huge pot of beef consomme from Julia Child. It really saved the day, and I am now using the leftovers as a base for stock, etc. I have to admit that I really enjoyed eating popsicles when I didn't feel well, and am continuing to eat the no-sugar added varieties even though I normally never eat them or any treat-type food.

Edited January 27, 2010 by nibor (log)

[Dianabanana]

Nuts of all kinds, esp pine nuts which go rancid so quickly in the fridge

Cranberries (buy enough at Thanksgiving to last all year, then sort, wash, and freeze)

Salt cod

Shrimp

Homemade pesto

Dog stuff--homemade dog food, chicken necks, and diced hot dogs for training treats

Huckleberries

Homemade gravlax

Most of any baked goods I make, as there are only two of us and my capacity for baking far exceeds our capacity for eating

Peas

Corn

Epazote

Curry leaves

Kaffir lime leaves

Lemongrass

[emmalish]

I just have a wee top-of-the-fridge type freezer. A good chunk of space is taken up by raw food for my cats, but I manage to keep it stocked with soups & chili during the winter, homemade ice cream during the summer, and frozen fruits year-round for both baking and smoothies. I almost always have flat packs of homemade vegetable stock, and a dozen or so muffins individually wrapped and ready to reheat. And I might have some frozen perogies, edamame or corn at any given time. I also freeze leftover odds and ends like lemon juice, chopped onion and coconut milk.

I wish I had a larger freezer. As it is, every possible square inch is being used.

[Dakki]

Let's see...

ice

(2x) gallons ice cream (chocolate and vanilla)

(8x) water-filled juice bottles for the cooler

(6x) ground beef (ziplocked in serving-sized portions)

(4x) pork chops (ditto)

(7x) thin-sliced round (ditto)

2/3 bag pork skin (boneless alternative to trotters, in case anyone wonders)

1 lb chorizo

(8x) old french bread (for croutons/stuffing)

~12 lbs of bacon ends and pieces (bought on sale)

~20 lbs of chicken thighs (ditto)

~9 lbs of shelled pecans (ditto)

~2 lb squid

~2 lb tilapia fillets (not sure why I got this)

2/3 lb unsalted butter

bag o' leftover beef bones (for stock)

leftover roast pork leg from New Years' (for bean soup)

You watch me, I'll get my stuff together and beat Chris at this game...

Edited January 28, 2010 by Dakki (log)

[KarenDW]

Wow. I am impressed by the various methods of inventory.

We currently have one 5 cu. ft. chest freezer which contains ONLY ice packs. Said freezer is for storing "ready meals" which are being picked up by clients. It's taking a lot of my (personal) energy to prevent DH from filling w/ ice cream.

The "home" freezer is 6 cu ft. upright freezer.

Top shelf: various berry freezer jams, about 6 x 1 cup bags

2nd shelf: strawberries, raspberries, sour cherries, about 2 lbs of each

3rd shelf: ravioli, boneless chicken breasts, trim from a tenderloin, 1 qt bag of chicken salad

4th shelf: 1 lb of meatloaf

bottom shelf: empty (previously contained ice packs mentioned above)

There is also a freezer in the bottom of my fridge, which contains

several bags of herbs and pestos

several bags of stock-making veg trim, and diced veg for quick meals

2 cup bag of lemon simple syrup (the last batch went mouldy in the fridge)

medical ice packs, and the ice-maker

2lbs of frozen cherries, purchased when I had forgotten that I already had 5 lbs of sour cherries, picked by my friends from an abandoned tree...

assorted single servings of sauces...

Edited January 28, 2010 by KarenDW (log)

[Paula E]

I just had to do a major freezer audit so we could fit our shipment of beef (also in bits) into the chest freezer. I managed to keep my stock, applesauce, and some cranberries in there. Barely.

In our kitchen freezer :

wild maine blueberries (makes wonderful smoothies for the picky 5 year old)

waffles

ice cream (vanilla)

various and sundry nuts (for salads and baking)

english muffin bread (from our local baker)

cornmeal

squash puree (for the 7 month old)

peas

coffee beans

more cranberries

and more beef (stew meat that wouldn't fit in the chest freezer)

oh. And frozen pumpkin cake. But that's my secret. Sssshhhh.