As the heat of summer sets in, we start focusing on our freezers. We open the door and linger a few seconds longer than necessary. Not great for energy consumption, but it has led to contemplation about the best way to use this essential kitchen asset.

Your freezer is a true friend for reducing food costs. Space is limited, so make it count. Clear out those freezer-burned buns and the ice-cream cartons with only one spoonful remaining. Replace these with normally expensive foods that you bought at rock-bottom sale prices.

Basically, freeze protein.

Meat, seafood and cheese send the cash register into overdrive, and supermarkets frequently offer sales or buy-one, get-one deals on frozen shrimp, shredded cheese and family-size packages of ground beef and chicken. To benefit from these bargains, you need to stock up and store the bounty.

A few hints:

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Set the freezer temperature to zero for optimum storage.

Freeze your cheese. Unopened packages of already-shredded cheeses, crumbled feta and crumbled blue cheese freeze best. Bang the frozen bag on the countertop, and you can easily scoop out portions. Frozen cheese holds for months, and shredded cheese thaws quickly, with no discernible difference when cooking.

Repackage meat into manageable portions and wrap securely. Preferably use plastic first and then foil to seal out air and prevent freezer burn. Alternatively, we often wrap in foil first and then slip the packages into zipper-top freezer bags.

Date and label all packages. Think you'll remember? You probably won't.

Organize shelves by types of food for easier retrieval.

Keep a list of what's frozen for efficient menu planning.

Defrost safely. Leave overnight in the refrigerator or unwrap and use the microwave's thaw function.

Today's recipe for Shrimp and Grits features bagged frozen shrimp, which we bought at a two-for-one sale. It's a Southern low-country recipe that's equally good for dinner, lunch or brunch.

Write to Desperation Dinners, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016.

Pour ½ cup chicken broth into a 1-cup measure and set aside. Pour remaining broth into a 4-quart saucepan along with water, half-and-half and ½ teaspoon salt. Cover pot and begin bringing it to a boil over high heat. While broth mixture comes to a boil, crisp bacon in microwave according to package directions. Remove from microwave and set aside.

When broth mixture boils, reduce heat to medium and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, slowly add grits to pot. Stir well. Reduce heat to low (or just enough heat to maintain a steady, low boil). Cover pot and cook, lifting lid to stir frequently, until grits have thickened, about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir well, scraping up any grits that stick to the bottom.

While grits cook, begin melting butter in a 12-inch skillet over low heat. Peel and finely chop onion. Add onion and garlic to skillet, and raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring from time to time. Pour flour and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt into a ½ -gallon zipper-top plastic bag. Add peeled shrimp, and toss bag to lightly coat shrimp with flour mixture. Add shrimp to skillet, and cook, stirring as necessary, until pink and just cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. (Remember to stir the grits!)

Add reserved ½ cup chicken broth to skillet and stir, scraping up any brown bits. Reduce heat to medium-low. When mixture has thickened slightly, about 1 minute, remove skillet from heat. Add lemon juice and stir well. Season with a few drops of hot pepper sauce to taste, if desired.

The grits should be the consistency of pudding. If they are too thick, stir in additional water, a tablespoon at a time, until you get the desired consistency. Remove them from heat and add cheese, stirring until it melts. Taste and add more salt, if necessary and, if desired, a bit more cheese (and water to thin as necessary). To serve, crumble bacon slices to make bacon bits. Spoon grits into the middle of four dinner plates. Spoon shrimp mixture over grits. Sprinkle some bacon bits on top to garnish. Serve at once.

Makes 4 generous servings. (For any leftover grits, see note below.)

Notes: We like to buy already-cooked bacon, available alongside raw bacon in the meat case. Or you can microwave your own before starting the recipe.

Three to four green onions can be substituted for the small onion.

Already-peeled shrimp usually are readily available frozen, but if you can't find them, look for the "easy peel" variety, which come deveined with the shell split. Regular unpeeled shrimp works, too. Just be sure to peel the shrimp before starting the recipe.

If you have leftover grits, they can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four days. Microwave to reheat, stirring in additional water, a few tablespoons at a time, to reach desired consistency.

PER SERVING: Calories 460 (42% fat) Fat 21 g (13 g sat) Cholesterol 228 g Sodium 1,169 mg Fiber 1 g Carbohydrates 34 g Protein 32 g

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