It’s no surprise that this time of year we start thinking about extra freezer space. Whether you are an avid holiday baker, a meal planner or a hunter, you might need more freezer space in your home. Before you rush out and buy anyone you find, it’s important to think about your needs. Someone who is stacking freezer meals versus someone who is storing large proteins from hunting will likely have different freezer requirements.
Things to Consider:
Determine the use- The types of things you are storing will help determine what style you will need. A chest freezer works great for someone who is storing meats that can be stacked on top of each other and not worry about accessing what is underneath. However, if you are storing freezer meals, overflow freezer items, baked goods, etc.… an upright freezer will be more useful since you will be able to quickly see and grab what you are looking for.
Determine the location- Whether it’s in your garage, basement, pantry, or under the stairs the location is important. Making sure you have proper access to plugs, having enough space around the freezer for breathing room, and having clearance for door swings are all important considerations.
Determine the size- Chest freezers come in many different widths from 24” wide up to 73” wide. Upright freezers typically come in 24, 30 and 34” wide.
One other difference in upright and chest freezers is manual versus frost-free. A chest freezer needs to maintain a consistent temperature so it only comes in a manual defrost which should be done once a year. Upright freezers will cycle like a typical fridge/freezer so it doesn’t require a manual defrost.
Other considerations:
Upright freezers only come with a right-hand swing so this will limit where you place it in your home.