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My deep freezer is one of my most cherished household appliances. It’s where I stash all sorts of handy staples that make weeknight dinners a breeze, from stir-fry veggies and chicken thighs to homemade soups and Trader Joe’s frozen meals.
But, lately, I’ve started to think of my deep freezer as a black hole—a frigid, bottomless abyss where Sam’s Club-sized bags of tater tots and giant boxes of French toast sticks somehow disappear without a trace.
One afternoon, while putting away groceries, I stumbled upon a long-buried pork shoulder that was nearly freezer-burned beyond recognition. I decided, right then and there, that enough was enough. I had to come up with a solution to my deep freezer predicament.
After a bit of brainstorming, I realized I could use a wet-erase marker to write directly on the front of my freezer, without leaving any permanent marks. I started keeping an inventory of everything that’s inside the deep freezer at any given time—and it’s been a total game-changer. This simple trick has helped me shop smarter, save money, and cut down on food waste; it’s also made me a more creative, resourceful home cook.
Sarah Kuta
Why Keeping Your Deep Freezer Organized Is Important
Like many home cooks who tend to stock up on ingredients, I have my primary refrigerator-freezer combo in the kitchen and a deep freezer in the garage. I typically store foods that I eat every day—like frozen berries for smoothies—in my kitchen freezer, and longer-term or bulky foods—like 10-pound bags of chicken breasts—in the deep freezer.
My deep freezer is a chest freezer, which, by design, makes finding things a bit of a challenge. It’s just a cold, cavernous space with a door on top—no built-in shelves or organizers—so food has a tendency to get buried. Searching for items means leaning over and rummaging around while my fingertips go numb. My freezer is also in the garage, which means it’s largely out of sight and out of mind.
I realized I was wasting a lot of time and money by not “shopping” my deep freezer before going to the grocery store. I was either buying duplicates of items I already had or letting perfectly good foods go to waste because I’d forgotten about them for months or (I’m embarrassed to admit) years. When trying to come up with creative and budget-friendly meal ideas, I wasn’t using the ingredients in my freezer for inspiration, because I didn’t remember I had them.
Sarah Kuta
How to Use A Wet-Erase Marker to Organize Your Deep Freezer
I was venting about my frustrations with the freezer to my partner when he mentioned that he often uses wet-erase markers at work. They’re similar to dry-erase markers, but the ink doesn’t smudge or rub off as easily—you just have to use a damp cloth. Dry-erase markers work on any non-porous surface, not just whiteboards, so I decided to buy some and try them on the front of my deep freezer. They worked like a charm.
One afternoon, we headed out into the garage together to inventory the deep freezer. My partner leaned over the freezer and called out the names of whatever he unearthed, while I sat on the ground and wrote whatever he said on the side of the freezer. For repeats, I used hash marks to indicate the quantity.
Whenever I remove an ingredient or add a new item to the freezer, I break out my trusty wet-erase marker and damp cloth to update the list.
Now, I can quickly and easily see exactly which foods are inside the deep freezer—and every time I walk past, I get a little spark of inspiration or a reminder about items I should use up before freezer burn sets in. For example, I recently remembered I had some frozen homemade soup made from tomatoes grown in my garden. I transformed the soup into Indian butter chicken for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. It was absolutely delicious—and, even better, I didn’t have to go out and buy any ingredients.
So far, the ink has always wiped right off. But if you’re concerned about permanently marking up your freezer, you could always use a simple piece of paper and a magnet instead.
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