Best Deep Freezer?

[Robert]

Being a retired HVAC guy, got to ask why some do not like auto defrost be it upright or chest freezer?

Mike,


It is my experience that the food gets to freezer burn condition much faster in the upright, especially if you do not put meat in Food Saver bags. I have four freezers, one manual defrost upright and two frost free upright and a manual chest. Degradation of meat fastest is as follows: frost free upright, manual frost upright, manual frost chest. Figure it must have something to do with how the air moves in and out of the appliance when the door is open.



Before Covid, I shopped for yellow tag meat at Sam's frequently. Lesson learned is Food Saver everything or you will be wasting the bargain price meats. Next lesson I learned from this and the previous thread: I plan to create a template for inventory with a heading across the top for Date placed in Freezer, Original Package, Food Saver. I know that if I put meat in the freezer in original package I need to cook that in about three months or it goes down hill fast.



Again, just my observation.


Robert

 

[Curt.P]

Being a retired HVAC guy, got to ask why some do not like auto defrost be it upright or chest freezer?

Freezer burn (oxidation) is accelerated by the constant freezing/thawing of the surface during the defrost cycle. Keeping things tightly wrapped in multiple layers helps, but it still happens faster with auto defrost. Not quite as fast, but manual defrost uprights have the same problem because the cold literally falls out every time the door is opened. There's also less parts in a chest freezer. Typical upright freezers have an air tower and a fan to blow air across the evaporator. It's needed to help get the air cold again after the door has been opened. That air movement also contributes to freezer burn. Chest freezers chill the inside walls and since the cold stays in when the lid is opened, air circulation isn't needed.

 

[RacrX]

Bought a used no-name brand on CL a few months ago for $100 and it's been great!

 

[pjtexas1]

I prefer chest freezers, you can hold more, they are cheaper to buy, cheaper to operate, and keep food at a constant temp.

Downsides is organization until i figured out the secret.

Use paper bags or reusable fabric grocery bags. Label things, chicken, beef, ground beef, pork, sausage, vegetables.

When you are looking for something, LIFT out the bags on top that arent what you are looking for. SET them on the ground. GET bag you want, TAKE what you want, SET other backs back in. I got into my wife after we started this and she just wanted to shift the bags and move everything around......just take them out and put them down, they will be fine for 1 minute on garage floor.

If you can keep your spouse on the same page, it permanently keeps the freezer very neat and tidy with very minimal effort.

Great idea!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[mike243]

Milk crates are your best friend in a chest freezer, easy to sort and unload/load

 

[IamMadMan]

I have an upright with a a self defrost cycle.



Everything goes into the freezer in dated Vac-sealed packages. I've had stuff get lost in the back of the freezer for a couple years that was just as good as the day it was put in the freezer. Nothing has ever had the slightest indication of freezer-burn.



Air is the enemy and the cause of oxidation in freezer-burn, remove the air by vac-sealing and you'll never lose a package of frozen food, or raw meat.

 

[rovster]

Great thread thanks for all the input. I vac seal all my proteins. I’ve always had chest freezers didn’t even know the uprights existed. Definitely need more capacity and our current one has a ton of rust on it and door seal is not great (ice seal) so it’s time. I was also not aware they were in high demand now.

 

[Mikhail]

I've had a couple uprights and like them. The current one is a Frigidaire and so far it has been flawless. Five or six years? It is chock full of meats and I'm trying to eat it down.

 

[billbek]

The new(er) uprights are much more effective than the older models especially if they have individual drawers to minimize cold air spilling out when the main door is open.
Here is an interesting thing to compare, compressor size.
If you look at a chest vs upright at a given internal volume, the upright will have a much larger compressor.
As mentioned chest freezers have organization issues but are more efficient.
Uprights work a little harder to keep things locked down but much easier to find what you are looking for inside.
I have a FoodSaver and wrap all the good stuff from bulk buys with that before freezing.
One old JennAir side by side upstairs.
One 10 year old Kenmore chest freezer down stairs.
One new LG tall apartment fridge down stairs.
Nice to have some room to shuffle product around if you have a failure.
YMMV

 

[mchar69]

I was also not aware they were in high demand now.

Yup, put your order in now and it will be October before you see it.

 

[Burnt at Both Endz]

Another great use for a freezer is to put a external adjustable thermostat on it and use it like a fridge. (or a beer fermenter) The flat bottom makes it easy to put a keg or two in.

Makes an excellent wet aging cooler too!!!

 

[Happy Hapgood]

Well Guys I agree this is a Great Thread.


As a retired HVAC/Refrigeration guy I do know a little.

1st, Location, Location, Location. Where you place the unit is most important. Do not have a choice for most folks. The garage is most popular. Does not get any wetter/humidified than a garage in a home. If you park a vehicle inside, turn it off, put the door down it's on. All the hot parts of the vehicle start to cool. This too causes condensation/moisture. This is why mufflers need to be replaced etc.


To make a long story longer, the outside coils on any freezer need to be kept clean. Free of dust and debris. Less energy used and compressor will last longer.


As a Novice BBQ guy here, My $75 Food Saver manual said up to 3 years storage. Vacpac is the way to go. We lost a fully cooked rack of St. Louis ribs in one freezer close to a year. They reheated to perfection.


I think auto defrost is the way to go. It's the air and location that are the enemy.


Just my .02

 

[mike243]

FYI there are no outside condenser coils on most freezers these days, been putting them in the cabinet skin for 30 years or so, there are a few that are listed as commercial that may have a small set but thats rare.