Write the freezer label for a tired evening

A freezer label should answer a tired person's questions without requiring the container to be opened. Write what the food is, how much is there and when it went in.

Use a label that stays readable on the container and a pen intended for the surface. “Tomato and bean sauce, two portions” is more useful than “dinner.” Include any important ingredient or allergen distinction when similar containers belong to different people. Record the preparation or freezing date accurately rather than trying to remember it later.

Add the next instruction

Where appropriate, note a reference to the recipe or safe reheating instructions. Do not invent a universal thawing time: container size, ingredients and equipment matter. Check current food-safety guidance for freezing, thawing and reheating that kind of food. Freezing does not repair unsafe handling before storage.

Label before the container becomes cold and wet. Leave enough headroom and use packaging suitable for the food and freezer. Place the label where it remains visible in the way you actually stack containers.

Keep a brief freezer list if items disappear behind one another. Cross off a portion when it leaves and add the new one when it goes in. The label and list should agree. A dated name on a useful portion saves more evening effort than a freezer full of anonymous potential.