Need Advice On A Freezer

[Jeepers]

I see a new freezer in my future and I could use a little guidance. 

 

I want an upright for sure. I've had a chest freezer in my younger days. I always lost things in the bottom of it even though I kept things in baskets. And the motor was inside and took up too much room. And there was the defrosting once a year. And I have developed a pretty bad case of Raynaud's Syndrome where even holding a cold drink from the fridge causes pain in my hands. Mostly in the winter. But the main issue is...I'm short. 5'2'' on a good day...with shoes on.  No more headstands in a deep freezer. 

 

It will have to be garage ready because that will be the only place I have room for it. 

 

My concern is size. I'll have room for it but for practicality, I don't know if I should go for the 17.3 cu ft. or the 21.3 cu. ft. The outside dimensions are the same except the larger one is 12 in. taller. I wonder if that 1 foot in height really makes a difference on inside food storage? The price difference $150.00 which is doable, but is it worth it? If I don't keep it full will that bring the cost of running it up? I'm a single person and would mostly use it to eat out of as opposed to long term storage. Although DIL could use some of it if she wanted to. 

 

I guess what I'm asking is one really that much larger than the other?

 

I shouldn't be this torn or addled over this. Sigh. So does anyone have either a 17.3 cf or a 21.3cf upright freezer and have any opinions either way?  

 

Also, does it need a water supply? I don't think my garage has one. 

[Littlesister]

You could go to stores and look at the different ones and get an idea of the sizes. There is a difference, but not a lot. If you are not going to use it for long term foods, then I would think the smaller one would be fine. But if you feel you might want to use it somewhere down the line as food starts to get more scarce, then I would go with a larger one. They say that a half empty freezer does cost a bit more to run, but you could fill that extra space with store bought flour, rice and other things to help fill it up and would give you a little bit of long term foods. 

[Jeepers]

Yes! I could always store flour in there.  

And ice cream. 

[themartianchick]

2 hours ago, Littlesister said:

You could go to stores and look at the different ones and get an idea of the sizes. There is a difference, but not a lot. If you are not going to use it for long term foods, then I would think the smaller one would be fine. But if you feel you might want to use it somewhere down the line as food starts to get more scarce, then I would go with a larger one. They say that a half empty freezer does cost a bit more to run, but you could fill that extra space with store bought flour, rice and other things to help fill it up and would give you a little bit of long term foods. 

You can also fill empty space with jugs of frozen water. In the event of a power outage, the jugs help to keep the food cold. The jugs also serve as additional water storage.

[out_of_the_ordinary]

I'd go bigger.  

 

We've had both uprights and chest freezers.   I think the upright square footage is almost a bit deceiving because you can't cram as much in there.  In the chest freezer, you're piling alot.  With the upright, it just doesn't work that well.   At least it didn't for me.   Put a turkey or turkey breast or whole chicken in an upright, and stacking is awkward to impossible.   Or packages of meat that aren't flat.  So you aren't getting the full usage of the space in there. 

 

Remember, too, with that frost-free feature,  foods get the ice crystals sooner.  I try not to store frozen veggies in the frost-free freezer. 

Because the frost-free is actually letting the temp. rise a bit to melt any ice buildup and then sucking that moisture out of the air in there.   So your foods are also getting that slight thaw, refreeze cycle,  too.   (This isn't to discourage anyone from getting a frost-free freezer, but just something to keep in mind with how you use it.)

Edited March 25, 2022 by out_of_the_ordinary

[Dee]

I wish I could help but I don't have a clue Jeepers.  I do know if I were living alone, I'd buy the smaller of the two.  For myself I wouldn't use the freezer nearly as much as I do cooking ahead for DH.  

 

Ours is one that has to be drfrosted.  If I were buying another, and DH wasn't around, I'd buy frost free.  We had one years and years ago that didn't work right and he never forgets. 

 

The others have given you good advice.  

[Mother]

Jeepers, I have both those sizes of uprights, as well as a small chest type and a pull-out drawer one on our old bigger refrigerator and a small upper freezer on our smaller kitchen refrigerator.  And yes, they are all full but then I store all our grain and flours in them as well as venison and other meat and fish, and vegetables and fruit. I suppose you could say I'm a freezer Connoisseur.  Or is that hoarder?  

 

Our biggest upright is old but is a commercial Amana and has been a work horse for probably thirty years. It has a manual defrost cycle.  We take everything out when it needs defrosting.  That gives us a chance to inventory so we aren't finding 2000 packages.  It has one convenience I love, a power freeze shelf that makes short work of freezing anything with a touch of a switch. It is stored in an outbuilding.  The smaller one is only a couple years old and is a frostless one.  It never gets frost in it and never has any crystals on anything in it.  It is nice and convenient as I can reach most anything in it from my wheelchair.  It is in the house.   

 

The drawer freezer is about 9 cubic feet and holds quite a lot.  It is easy for me to get things out of as well.  The small chest type is stored with the big upright in an outbuilding. It does hold a lot considering its size but I am short and even this smaller one I tend to fall into when I'm trying to get things out of it.  Not to mention that though a chest type hold s lot more it also hides the bottom packages really well if you don't have a basket system or something to be able to rotate foods. The uprights do let more cold air out compared to the chest or drawer type when you open the doors.  

 

I would go for larger if you can afford it and have a place for it.  I prefer the uprights but for the reason's I mentioned.  I like my frostless one but not my frost free one as much.  You might want to consider how much you want to can if the electric goes out for any length of time.  The bigger freezer will mean more jars and lids.  Unless, of course, you use them like I do for storing grain, flour, and dried foods and seeds that don't need processing if the electric is out. 

 

And there is my $0.01 + $0.01........

[Jeepers]

Thank you all for the input! I think I was over thinking this. And panicking over spending all that money.

 

I decided to go with the bigger one. And as soon as I went on the site (Home Depot) it was sold out. It was available this morning. I called and they said they expect more in in 4-6 weeks. They took my number and will call if one turns up sooner. I remember when Covid started you couldn't find a freezer any place. Hope that doesn't happen again. I suppose that will work out for the next time I go over around June. Sigh. 

 

Everyone made great points. Canning meats from the freezer wouldn't be a problem for me. I can do that and I have plenty of jars. Most of the jars I use for dried food storage are the 1/2 gallon ones and I don't can in those. I plan to freeze my own freezer meals and soups that have cream in them. Also homemade beef and noodles and chicken and noodles etc. 

 

TMC, storing water in it is brilliant too. Can never have enough water. And keeping food cold longer is a plus too. I think I read where it said food in that freezer will stay frozen up to four hours. I was thinking longer than that.  

 

Dee, living alone means I get to make my own decisions. Which also means I usually end up suffering the consequences. As you can tell by this post, I'm not always good at it. 

 

OOTO, I do plan to store some frozen veggie bags. Do you think sealing the bag in a Food Saver bag first would help with the frost issue? 

 

I'm getting excited over this. 

[out_of_the_ordinary]

Jeepers,  I don't know about Food Saver bags as I don't have a Food Saver.  

 

With power outages/staying cold:

With the power outages we've had, it depends on the outside/room temp.  A winter day vs. a hot, humid summer day makes a difference.   Last month we lost power for about 10 hours and everything in the upright was still froze solid and the themometer in the freezer was still below 20.   The chest freezer definately stays colder than the upright. 

 

We once had a weeklong outage in the late summer.   After the 2nd day, I took everything salvageable to a relative's.   In the upright, I lost everything on the door and fruits and veggies; meats like roasts and chickens were still alright.  I tossed soups as they were thawed and I wasn't sure if it was safe, but I did not want to risk it.   Everything in the chest freezer was still froze solid.

 

After, I read somewhere [maybe here??]  in a power outage, throw a sleeping bag/blankets over a freezer to help it stay cold.      We have fridge/freezer thermometers in all the freezers now.  Not the digital kind.  We might have bought them in the appliance section of Lowe's.   They weren't expensive and hang like an oven thermometer does.    Anyway, I figure in future outages, that would help me to better determine what to do.

Edited March 26, 2022 by out_of_the_ordinary

[Littlesister]

Jeepers I forgot about putting the water in freezer. That is a great idea. And for sure don't leave out the ice cream. 

I have had the self-defrost freezers and always had a problem with them. So now I only have the ones I have to defrost.  I have the largest chest freezer you could get. Had it for a long time. Got it from Sears before they went out of business. I also have one that has the bottom freezer and the one in kitchen is a top freezer that can be flipped over to become an extra fridge. All three are packed full. That is why I want them to hurry up and finish the work or at least the kitchen. So, they did nothing all this week. He said the kitchen tile did not come in yet. But they still have a lot of electrical, fans, and has to move the kitchen light as they blocked half the air condition duck with it. I told them it would block it, but what do I know, I'm just a woman. I win. It did cover half the air condition duck and they now have to move it down about 6 inches and repair and paint the ceiling after it is moved. They could have been here this week doing that stuff while waiting on the tiles. This is getting old.

[Jeepers]

I've heard chest freezers are more efficient too. I think it has to do with the size of the lid vs the door. More air rushes out on the upright. Or something like that. The other day I posted about using blankets on a freezer to help food stay frozen during a power outage. Those heavy furniture pads would be ideal for that. Worse case scenario son could bring his generator over. 

 

Generator. That will be my next big dilemma. 

[Littlesister]

16 minutes ago, out_of_the_ordinary said:

Jeepers,  I don't know about Food Saver bags as I don't have a Food Saver.  

 

With power outages/staying cold:

With the power outages we've had, it depends on the outside/room temp.  A winter day vs. a hot, humid summer day makes a difference.   Last month we lost power for about 10 hours and everything in the upright was still froze solid and the themometer in the freezer was still below 20.   The chest freezer definately stays colder than the upright. 

 

We once had a weeklong outage in the late summer.   After the 2nd day, I took everything salvageable to a relative's.   In the upright, I lost everything on the door and fruits and veggies; meats like roasts and chickens were still alright.  I tossed soups as they were thawed and I wasn't sure if it was safe, but I did not want to risk it.   Everything in the chest freezer was still froze solid.

 

After, I read somewhere [maybe here??]  in a power outage, throw a sleeping bag/blankets over a freezer to help it stay cold.      We have fridge/freezer thermometers in all the freezers now.  Not the digital kind.  We might have bought them in the appliance section of Lowe's.   They weren't expensive and hang like an oven thermometer does.    Anyway, I figure in future outages, that would help me to better determine what to do.

 

[Littlesister]

I hit something I shouldn't have I think. 

But anyway I was going to say that my chest freezer said I can use dry ice to keep things cold for 7 days in a power outage.

Just now, Littlesister said:

 

 

Edited March 26, 2022 by Littlesister
I hit something wrong .

[Jeepers]

Littlesister, there will always be room in my heart and my freezer for ice cream. And popsicles.   

[Mother]

Jeepers, before you buy one make sure it can be run with a generator. “Some freezers and refrigerators have ‘mother boards’ that can be ruined by the ‘dirty’ energy produced by some generators” that’s what we were told by the repairman after we ran one of ours with a generator. Theother’s we’re all fine run that way.  Also, the generator does not have to be run continuously to keep the food frozen.  You have to watch the food but an hour or so a few times a day seems fine if it’s not roasting outside.  The blankets help as not opening any more than necessary.  I keep ice cubes in a dish near the door or lid of my freezers.if they have melted, even if the puddle froze again, I know it got warm in those areas at least.  In back or at the bottom things could still be frozen solid.  Good reason to bury the ice cream deep?  And eat it first to keep it from spoiling.  

[Darlene]

Jeeps, I have 3 varying sized freezers in the garage and just bought a 4th one last week, plus the refrig/freezer in the home.

 

My experience, and from all the research I've done over the years, is that the main difference between an upright and a chest freezer is:

• A chest freezer keeps a constant temperature which keeps the foods inside at a constant deep frozen temp. Ice will eventually build up on the sides as a reaction to the opening of the lid over a long period of time. Every few years (4-5 or more) you can manually defrost the freezers and start again. The downsize is that unless you organize things in the chest freezer, it can sometimes be work digging down through the layers of frozen food
• An upright fluctuates its temperature with increased air flow like the standard freezers on our refrig/freezers in the home, which stops any ice forming on the side of the freezer. The downside is that the foods inside are exposed to these fluxations of temperatures and air flow and the shelf life of the foods inside are statistically not as long...even though anything frozen extends shelf lives. The upside is that it's easier to organize things because the unit is built vertical vs the horizontal chest freezers.

I've always had chest freezers. Last year I bought an upright with the thought of cycling meats out of the chest freezers into the upright for ease of organization. But, the chest freezers are the units I count on for preserving these foods longer. Last week, I bought another large chest freezer because my other chest freezer is starting to fail and I don't want to be in a position where I have a need with that and no ability to fulfill that need. I have to take another steer in for processing on Thursday so I'm trying to time things between the 2.

[themartianchick]

One other thing about freezers:

 

Get a freezer alarm. 

 

When freezers fail, they fail SPECTACULARLY!!! I had a deep freezer that just stopped working. I don't know why or when. The power never went out and I never had any indication that something was wrong. Fortunately, I had a freezer alarm. Unfortunately, it began beeping at 3 in the morning when the temperature warmed. I was able to move the food into another freezer and cook the rest. It would have been incredibly costly, if I had not been able to do that.

 

[Mother]

Excellent suggestion TMC.  Two of our three freezers have built in alarms that have served to save food in them a couple times.  The newer ones does not.  

[Jeepers]

Everyone has such good suggestions. Thank You! 

 

And here I am still agonizing over size. It never dawned on me that I could have more than one. Maybe a 18 inch for the garage to eat out of. Like for freezer meals that I make and soups that I can't can because of cream or pasta. Bread. Things I eat on the regular.  

 

Then, down the road, a small chest freezer to store long term things like meats. 

 

People really can have more than one freezer?  Who knew.   I have plenty of room for an extra one. There is a 1 1/2 car garaged right next to the house that is very well insulated. The previous guy used it for his workshop. There is even a little gas heater on the wall. 

 

Add a thermometer and alarm. One that I looked at had a lock on it. Y'all are the best. 

 

 

Ya know, to be 100% honest I was thinking about what if DIL wants to use it too. But there comes a time when I have to be a little bit selfish and think about my own needs first. Don't tell I said that. I'm not quite there yet. I'll gladly share the chest freezer with her. She is younger and taller than me.