Freezer organizers

December 10, 2024 7:04 PM

After many freezer avalanches, the final straw was taking 2L of ice cream to my toes. My freezer is small and above the fridge and is full of awkwardly shaped frozen meat and unstable veggie bags. Any change to the status quo risks avalanches. I need something to corral the packages. How do people do this? Do those clear plastic amazon bins survive activity while frozen?

The plastic fridge organizer bins look great, but I'm afraid they're going to shatter the first time they hit the counter. The wire bins look like they'll last longer and but they're clearly intended for deep freezers and the sizing is off for my tiny freezer.

posted by platypus of the universe to Home & Garden (15 answers total)

Best answer: I use wire bins and wire bins come in every dimension you can imagine. Just spend some time on the major online retailer of your choice and you'll find something that works. My freezer is much much more manageable with my bins!
posted by phunniemee at 7:20 PM on December 10 [3 favorites]

Small cardboard boxes should work well. If you tape the bottom a bit extra and fold the flaps down inside, that should help make them more secure. Free, eco-friendly, customizable height wise, and won't hurt your hands to touch when you pull them out.
posted by Eyelash at 7:27 PM on December 10 [2 favorites]

Tote bags work. Use different colors so you know what kind of item is in each.
posted by janell at 7:35 PM on December 10 [3 favorites]

Best answer: We have some of the iDesign bins like on this page from the Container Store. Our freezer is drawers so they don't get pulled out much, but they do get banged around by frozen stuff and we have had no issues.
posted by oneirodynia at 7:43 PM on December 10 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I also use wire bins in my side by side freezer and I didn't get specific freezer baskets, just ones from the office section of Target. Be sure to measure so you know if you can fit 2 or more in your space and get straight sides, not tapered, if you can. You can usually fit a few flat boxes next them as well.
posted by soelo at 7:57 PM on December 10

Best answer: I've used plastic fridge bins that I purchased for cheap at Walmart in both our fridge's freezer and our deep freezer for the last few years. While I can't guarantee they'd survive if dropped while frozen (heck, I can't guarantee they'd survive while UNfrozen), I *can* say I've dropped them a couple of times and none have even cracked yet.

Mine fit under the wire rack, four across with some extra space, and I've mostly used them to organize made-ahead and pre-packaged meals for the grandchild that otherwise, ended up everywhere in the freezer.
posted by stormyteal at 8:00 PM on December 10

Any of the above would work well enough assuming you can find something in a size that works for your space. Make sure that whatever you implement is not such a big box as to make it too heavy to handle. That should reduce the chances of the box hitting the counter, right?
posted by koahiatamadl at 1:24 AM on December 11

Probably in the world of plastic containers, I might trust ikea more than amazon.
posted by oldnumberseven at 2:52 AM on December 11

I use a small cardboard box for this. I've had them same one in there for a few years.
posted by I_carried_a_watermelon at 3:48 AM on December 11 [1 favorite]

Speaking of IKEA, maybe some Skubb boxes would work?

They're made out of a synthetic fabric, so there's nothing to shatter. They're not transparant, though. I guess you could write on them?
posted by demi-octopus at 7:25 AM on December 11 [1 favorite]

I bought a set of different color reusable soft shopping bags and labeled the handles with paint pen. This way the "chicken" bag might drift to the bottom of the freezer but the handles are still sticking up through the "frozen veg" and "freezer jam" bags so I know what to remove to get to my target.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:25 AM on December 11 [4 favorites]

My clear plastic freezer bins from target have been going strong for four years. This might be something worth seeing in person before you buy to check quality.
posted by momus_window at 7:45 PM on December 11

I have a dollar store plastic bin for bagged veggies. Works fine.
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:39 AM on December 12

Response by poster: Non-freezer specific wire baskets! Not sure why my brain froze (ha!) on that possibility. I blame the amount of searching for freezer specific plastic in attempts to get something sturdy. Baskets have been ordered, along with a couple of smaller plastic things for the narrow under/shelf space. Thanks all! My toes will appreciate you.
posted by platypus of the universe at 8:46 AM on December 12 [1 favorite]

I used to have freezer bins, but I took them out recently as they had become leftovers graveyards. I've had better luck making sure I roll my open bags in stackable cylinders. I use two rubberbands, one at each end to keep them neat (like a swag)

Then I can stack them so that they fall sideways instead of out. Also works well as I can see more of what I have.
posted by kjs4 at 5:45 PM on December 12