Should a second freezer be a chest freezer or upright?

[Ferdinand]

I find myself in need of a backup freezer - the immediate cause that has flagged it up is the apple (an dother) harvest and the need to preserve some of it for winter heating, but it was on the agenda anyway. Ironically, I chucked out an ancient one about 4 years ago, and now find myself wanting a replacement. 

Where are we with chest freezers vs upright freezers, now?

 

Traditionally I have viewed chest freezers as more efficient due to less air leaking out when the door is opened, but now this seems to be a minor factor. As I have it:

 

Chest freezer - More floorspace per storage volume, but need rootling around like a warthog to find things. Can go beneath shelves / cupboards. Price ranges £1.20-£3 per litre of storage. Less efficient energy-wise (?).

 

Upright freezer - store more in 600x600mm. More expensive. Price ranges £2-£5 per litre of storage.

 

I'm quite taken by the idea of an upright with a small wine cooler on top.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts or views?

 

Cheers. 

 

Ferdinand

[JohnMo]

Do you need to freeze apples to preserve them.  I though wrap in paper (discard bruised ones), put in box, put in a dark cool corner, was the way to do it.  Certainly was the way to do it when I was growing up (a long time ago)

[SteamyTea]

Are freezers like pianos and women.

If they are not upright, they are grand.

[Ralph]

If you're after volume and efficiency it's chest freezer. Ease of access, go for an upright.

Chest freezers tend to be colder and quieter. 

Most people I know around here have one in the garage for meat.

[Ferdinand]

On 10/10/2022 at 14:19, JohnMo said:

Do you need to freeze apples to preserve them.  I though wrap in paper (discard bruised ones), put in box, put in a dark cool corner, was the way to do it.  Certainly was the way to do it when I was growing up (a long time ago)

 

Technically I don't, but I have not had much success trying to preserve apples whole. We used to wrap individually ion newspaper and put in the cellar. I am more inclined to chunk, blanche and freeze. Or dehydrate.

 

I'm also currently in the habit of buying soft fruit in decent volume (ie kgs of blueberries, blackberries etc) in season for smoothies, breakfasts and puddings until the next summer.

 

Plus I'm buying fish, some meats, game etc direct from source in enough volume to avoid delivery charges.

 

So a small chest 70-80 cm wide chest freezer or an upright seems a suitable idea.

 

No current plans to get in half a wild boar, however. Though several portions of horse are arriving today.

 

F

[SteamyTea]

30 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

Though several portions of horse are arriving today.

Shall get my spoon, lighter and other tools out.

 

 

[puntloos]

Watch this video:

 

 

TL;DR: chest 😃

[Adsibob]

Chest freezers are also much more useful for storing cadavers. 

[SteamyTea]

55 minutes ago, Adsibob said:

Chest freezers are also much more useful for storing cadavers. 

More fun having the frozen head giving you a Glaswegian kiss you when you get the pop tarts out for breakfast. 

 

 

 

Edited October 30, 2022 by SteamyTea

[Adsibob]

Anyone seen the Jeffrey Dahmer series on Netflix. Now there’s a man who could have done with a chest freezer.

[SteamyTea]

11 minutes ago, Adsibob said:

Now there’s a man who could have done with a chest freezer.

Scroll down to Lambourne House. My parents looked at buying the place in early 1983. They viewed it a few times. Never saw Michael's wife there, they thought it strange as they knew her.

 

http://truecrimeinvestigators.co.uk/monika-zumsteg/

 

 

[Ferdinand]

7 hours ago, puntloos said:

Watch this video:

 

 

TL;DR: chest 😃

 

Not actually entirely convinced - his main distinction is cold air escaping.

 

My upright freezer has solid glass shelves and full depth solid plastic baskets in each shelf. So the air is kept in just like a chest freezer, almost none escaping from the other shelves / baskets.

 

So I can get the benefit of no need to go rummaging and a smaller footprint, with far less sacrifice than suggested. IMO.

 

And I don't - checking the specs - see much difference in energy required between simlilarly sized upright an chest freezers.

 

F

 

 

 

[puntloos]

1 hour ago, Ferdinand said:

 

Not actually entirely convinced - his main distinction is cold air escaping.

 

My upright freezer has solid glass shelves and full depth solid plastic baskets in each shelf. So the air is kept in just like a chest freezer, almost none escaping from the other shelves / baskets.

 

So I can get the benefit of no need to go rummaging and a smaller footprint, with far less sacrifice than suggested. IMO.

 

And I don't - checking the specs - see much difference in energy required between simlilarly sized upright an chest freezers.

 

 

Fair points, although of course comparing chest with drawer is probably done just leaving the devices closed for ages rather than actual day to day use. 

But I can see the point around having a few drawers fixing most of the main concerns of 'cold falling out of the freezer'

[Ferdinand]

The other advantage I can see for a chest freezer is that they are significantly less expensive for the same volume of storage - being basically a cool box with a cooling system built in.

 

And a disadvantage is that the shuffling-around-space is insider the freezer for a chest freezer, whilst it is outside the freezer for an upright - so the upright has 100% useable volume vs perhaps 75-80% for a chest freezer.