Something Practical from PFCMom

I have some ground beef waiting to be repackaged from a ten pound tube into more manageable portions so I took a peek into the freezer to see what kind of room I had and was reminded that defrosting was long overdue. So I set about to get it done.

It is an easy, and quick job if you know the trick my mother taught me. I'll share so you can know too.

BEFORE

BEFORE - See how the frost is over an inch thick, YIKES!

I emptied the freezer after setting two pots of water on to boil.

When the water was at a good rolling boil . . .

I set the pan in the bottom of the freezer and closed the lid. After about 10 minutes I removed the first pan and put the larger pan in, and closed the lid.

After just twenty minutes of steam all the frost slides off with a plastic spatula.

Using gloves and a dishpan I gathered up all the frosty ice.

Then I wiped down the sides and sopped up the water, wringing it into the dishpan. Dry with a fresh towel.
After just 35 minutes work the freezer is ready to be restocked.

With some reusable shopping bags, and some brown paper bags (doubled and folded over twice) I sorted food and repacked the freezer so like items are together and easy to lift out to get to a bottom layer.
After 45 minutes of work it is done and I'm ready to move on.

Thanks mom for teaching me the fastest way to defrost and clean a freezer!

BONUS: How to clean pots (and other things) with hard water mineral residue.

When you have a pan (or a glass dish) that looks like this . . . don't scrub and scratch!

Use VINEGAR (either kind works) A couple of tablespoonfuls and a green (or white) scrubby rubbed gently and all the gunk is gone!

See? Gleaming and clean.