Pls help- suggestions for extra freezer?

[tchrchgo]

I want to purchase an extra freezer. I am so confused by all the choices. I want to put it in my kitchen in an unused corner. I'd prefer the width and depth around 30" each.


Do I want chest or upright? Minimum cubic feet, max? Power use? Frost free, manual defrost?

Thanks!

 

[bigbabyblues]

We have a large chest freezer in our garage (and an extra fridge/freezer in the basement). I preefer the chest freezer to MIL's upright. It just seems like we can fit more into ours.

 

[navywifetill2002]

I love my stand up freezer. My aunt has the chest type and it always seems the bag of corn she sends me after is on the bottom and I have to unload the whole thing to get to it. I like just opening the door and being able to see what I have available.

 

[ilovemk76]

I want to purchase an extra freezer. I am so confused by all the choices. I want to put it in my kitchen in an unused corner. I'd prefer the width and depth around 30" each.


Do I want chest or upright? Minimum cubic feet, max? Power use? Frost free, manual defrost?

Thanks!

Chest freezers are more energy efficient but food can get lost in them.

Upright freezers are easier to organize but less efficient.

Frost free are less work but will use more energy and cause more ice buildup in the food.

Manual defrost are more energy efficient but will require work to defrost them.

We have an upright frost free freezer. I believe it is about 18 cubic feet. We keep frozen water filled milk containers when it gets empty. They work as a flywheel.

 

[ceecee]

I prefer my mom's upright rather than my chest type. I use the things on top and don't rotate so I end up throwing away a ton of food.

 

[ten6mom]

I have a small upright. I would not want a chest freezer because I would not like digging around in it for things. Mine is NOT frost free so it is a bit inconvenient when the frost builds up but as I understand it it takes more power to run the frost free type.... or so I have heard.

 

[eisforpants]

I have both. I prefer my upright to the chest. I can't organize the chest like I can my upright and it seems like I'm always digging in the chest freezer.

 

[chris31997]

I would suggest you figure out what you are going to use it for. Is this going to be for frezzer meals? Bulk buying? Just need some Extra Space?

For each reason you possibly might want a differant size freezer.

Bulk buying and freezer meals: you might want a medium to larger freezer
Extra Space: you might want a smaller to medium freezer.

When we had our chest, it was a smaller chest. I liked it. I did find it annoying having to dig for items. I "stocked" it once every 3ish months. That way I made sure to use the food I had bought. If I was going out of town I would freeze water in it and would freeze milk(buy a higher % fat than normally drink).

When we buy one again, I think I would seriously consider buying an upright. Just for the ease of finding things in it.

For the longest time(@ 30yrs) my MIL had in her house a fridge, no freezer. And on the opposite side of the kitchen an upright freezer.

 

[Beth D]

I agree with above posters. Chest freezers are more difficult to keep food organized, and yes, what you want is always on the bottom!

Also, if you are vertically challenged it might be difficult to get things. I'm 5' 2" and find myself head first in the freezer digging for the package on the bottom. And yes, my feet have been off the floor!

Something else to consider that you may not have thought of before!

 

[tchrchgo]

I'm considering a 5.1 cu chest due to space and cost. The reason I want a freezer is to store extra meat and sides so I can cook everyday, rather than ordering in. An upright would be twice the cost. Not sure that is feasible right now. The 5.1 is only 22 inches deep so I don't think I'd have to climb in.

 

[sharon_wv]

We have a chest freezer now. It is not frost free an that's why I like it better than the normal freezer. Nothing gets freezer burned (like ice cream or the fresh peaches and berries I pick fresh in the summer). When we used an extra freezer in refrig/freezer everything ended up all dried out and tasted bad.

It is sometimes tough to find stuff in it (especially if full) but it is worth it to me.

Quick question... Why do you freeze gallons of water in your freezers? Does it make it more efficient or something?

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I have a chest freezer. A mid to large one. But if I had it to do all over again I would buy an upright. The shelves in there make it more manageable for storage and organization. Chest freezers get kind of full and you are just stacking stuff on top of stuff and have to dig down through all of it to get to stuff. That is not a problem with an upright because you have shelves like a fridge in there.

I have mine on the edge of my kitchen and it was the only location I could put it so I had to get the chest. An upright would have blocked my access to the kitchen lights.

Mine is not frost free either but it took 4 years for the frost to build up enough in mine before I had to chip it out.

 

[chris31997]

We have a chest freezer now. It is not frost free an that's why I like it better than the normal freezer. Nothing gets freezer burned (like ice cream or the fresh peaches and berries I pick fresh in the summer). When we used an extra freezer in refrig/freezer everything ended up all dried out and tasted bad.

It is sometimes tough to find stuff in it (especially if full) but it is worth it to me.

Quick question... Why do you freeze gallons of water in your freezers? Does it make it more efficient or something?

I would freeze the water/milk to help keep it cold if power was lost for whatever reason. Hurricanes, power outages......

 

[ilovemk76]

We have a chest freezer now. It is not frost free an that's why I like it better than the normal freezer. Nothing gets freezer burned (like ice cream or the fresh peaches and berries I pick fresh in the summer). When we used an extra freezer in refrig/freezer everything ended up all dried out and tasted bad.

It is sometimes tough to find stuff in it (especially if full) but it is worth it to me.

Quick question... Why do you freeze gallons of water in your freezers? Does it make it more efficient or something?

Frozen water does two things. The first is it is more efficient and the second is it will buy you time in a power outage.

 

[lucyem]

I agree the kind of freezer will depend on your needs. The more you need stuff out of it on a daily basis the more you are going to want an upright.

We have two giant chest freezers. We bulk buy 1/2 a cow in the fall. When we pack the meat freezer, we pack for easy finding. I also keep a list on top so I always know what is in it, checking off as I go. Our second freezer was similar when we grew meat chickens and had a full garden. These days that second chest freezer gets the family overflow and a lot more use. It is a big pain especially with kids who tend to really mix stuff up hunting for something.

 

[DawnM]

We have a full size upright freezer. I love it, except for the two times my youngest left it slightly ajar.

We no longer allow him to put stuff away.

We have it in our basement. We also have a 2nd fridge down there, so we essentially have 3 freezers (main one, 2nd fridge, and deep freeze.)

 

[queenofthehive]

I prefer an upright as items seem to get lost and forgotten in a chest freezer.

 

[tchrchgo]

Just a follow up. I ended up just getting a 5.1 cu ft chest freezer as that was all I could afford right now. But I love it! I've got 2 weeks worth of stuff in there and it's only half full.