Uprights need to auto defrost because they have a cooling coil (evaporator) with a fan to circulate the cold air. These coils will plug with ice and no air will flow through unless they defrost. They use electric heaters to quickly defrost the coil. The freezer will not typically get up to 32, but it will rise a bit. A chest freezer has the cooling coil, evaporator, wrapped around the case. Slowly over time ice will build up on the walls of the freezer but since a chest freezer doesn’t rely on airflow, a little ice build up is not a problem. The temps will be more stable and will never rise above 0. I have a chest freezer and am happy with it.
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So I used to sell them. I own an upright frost-free. As long as food is well vacuum packed, I have not noticed any degradation from the defrost cycle even after a few years. Besides, what do you do with all the food when you need to defrost? Much more potential for thawing/damage from that.
Downside of a manual defrost is that usually the cooling cools are also the shelves, so they aren’t adjustable.
Main downside of a chest is it’s a horizontal surface and tends to accumulate things. If you keep it clear, you are taking up floor space. With an upright you can put stuff on top and still get in the freezer. A lot less floor space wasted. And again you have to haul things in and out to get to things (not that an upright is free from that) and it’s got to go somewhere while you dig. Got back problems? You have bend over very far and lift, usually the heaviest items.
I have owned both and will never own a chest freezer again.Comment
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I have nothing to add other than another great thread. Great read!Comment
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Chest vs. Upright aside, you need to consider the ambient temperature range in your garage. You many want to read up on models that are certified by the manufacturer to operate within your environment. I suppose your concern would be how cold it gets in your garage.
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I have a 11 cuft chest freezer that is manual defrost and designed for non climate controlled areas and the criticisms are accurate, it takes some organization but it is also what fits the area on my closed in back porch along with the beer fridge, so I guess I would also take into consideration the space that you’re planning to put your freezer in. That being said either choice is a solid one. I’m sure mine has paid for itself in about 5 years simply being able to stock up when there are good sales.Last edited by USMCCrashCrew89; July 3, 2020, 06:51 AM.Comment
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I have two smallish chest freezers (6 and 9 cu ft) and one smallish upright, maybe about 12 cu ft.
Upright --Frost free so less maintenance, but food not vac sealed will get freezer burn
Food freezes faster because cooling coils are underneath each shelf
Easier access to food, although irregular packages can (and often do) slither around and fall out
More temperature variation due to frost free cycles and also to loss of cold air when door is opened
Chest --Manual defrost so somewhat more maintenance, but not bad IMO if the door gasket seals properly. (I've not seen a chest freezer that's frost free.)
Food stays put better and doesn't tend to fall out when you rummage around
Less freezer burn due to no frost-free cycling, but still good to vac seal food for longer storage
Temperature is more consistent
More energy efficient
Can be used as a temporary counter in the pantry
My spouse prefers the upright, I prefer the chests. I hate how slithery stuff can be in an upright freezer. And I don't particularly see any advantage to an upright when trying to find something at the very back of a shelf. I can unload the chest down to the bottom in seconds, given how I organize stuff in the chest.
I use a few wire/plastic baskets in both types of freezers to corral small items. I also use cotton "fisherman's net" shopping bags for storing similar items in the chest freezers.
The advantage of baskets is they're self supporting, but you can lose a lot of space if your items don't fit the baskets efficiently.
The advantage of string bags is they conform to the items in the bag and also nestle into odd spaces in the freezer. The disadvantage is they are floppy. It's also tempting to overload a bag, so it's heavy and awkward. It's better to dedicate enough bags to this duty to minimize the temptation to overload.
I tricked out the larger (9 cu ft) chest freezer for better access --I mostly store larger cuts of meat at the bottom -- roasts, whole chicken, things like that. I put several pairs of small spring-tension curtain rods or RV cupboard guards* to divide this bottom volume into smaller spaces.
The second layer of stuff is put into 2-3 string bags that lay on top of the bottom layer of meat packages.
For the top layer, I ordered a second OEM sliding basket for this freezer as well. That means I have two sliders in this freezer rather than one. The space between the baskets is occupied by 2-3 string bags for veggies.
* RV cupboard guard -- https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Cupboar.../dp/B0006IX7X8 These guards come in various sizes. A pair of spring curtain rods work exactly the same as the RV guards, but are a little more fiddly to install. You can move either type depending on the stuff you're trying to corral.Comment
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Forgot to mention: My antique upright has double doors at each shelf so not all of the cold air escapes when you open the door. I wish new freezers had this feature.
I also own a 1950s chest freezer - it is at my friend's farm (no more room here - I collect and restore old appliances but they are big and take up space) and they have it (and two 8' long modern chest freezers) full. I do prefer an upright but have had chests most of my life - as long as you stay organized and keep track of what is in there and where, you can easily find and rotate out the older stuff.Last edited by 58limited; July 3, 2020, 10:42 AM.Comment
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I have a chest freezer. An upright would be really nice so stuff doesn't get lost as easily.Comment
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Still kicking this around. I do vac seal any foods that will go in here. Thing is that for me the freezer will be for longer term storage, so aside from maintenance and easy of getting to food, my primary concerns are a) food safety for things that might be in there 6-18 months and b) food quality.
What I'm thinking is to buy meat both on sale and from local farmers in quantity. Not anything like half a cow because it's just me, but definitely more than I want to store in the freezer in the refrigerator. Add to that some overflow stuff - hey there's a sale on frozen pizza, etc.
The unit itself will be indoors in a rec room that I don't really use so it won't be subject to extreme temp (hi, this is Seattle, we don't HAVE extreme temps... *glowers at cloudy, 60F forecast on July 3rd*).
Of course, actual availability of the damn things is its own issue right now.Comment
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I deliberately avoided recommending one or the other, rather just ithe pros and cons of each so as to let you draw your own conclusion. I own both types (I have six) and if it is for long term storage and you aren't getting into it a lot, I'd lean towards the chest. Being able to put things on it or use it as a table are a plus, and if you keep it fairly organised it isn't all that much to get to things. But it really boils down to personal preference. Maybe get both! ;-) -
With it being inside, I've not defrosted my smallish chest freezer in at least 3-4 years. It gets a bit of frost build up on the inside of the top edge, from humid air hitting it when open, but I can chip it off without shutting things down. When I had one in the garage, the entire freezer would frost inside over time due to more humid outdoor air getting in there.
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Wow. I feel so much smarter after reading this thread. Who knew?Comment
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I have a small chest freezer. It holds a lot but it's kind of a pain. It seems like no matter what I'm looking for it's always at the very bottom underneath a pile of meat.Comment
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Suggestion: Get a temperature alarm, too, so you know if something breaks. A friend lost a lot of meat when the freezer failed, and he didn't find out until it was too late.Comment
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Chest due to you don't loose all the cold air when you open it. No autodefrost for the reason you mention.Comment
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I know I should like freezers,but I feel everything cooks and tastes better from fresh.
(maybe I'm f**ked up)! And it's still cold 60's in the grey northwest! July 7Comment
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I'm guessing it's psychological as almost all meat is frozen. It's thawed out before putting it out for retail with an abundance of 'FRESH' signs. Here is an interesting read: https://franchescasdawnfarm.com/blog...s-frozen-meats -
I have the deep freeze mostly to take advantage of sale pricing. As long as stuff is either in the cryvac, or vacuum sealed, I have never noticed a difference from cooking it "fresh" from the store. As ComfortablyNumb points out, most stuff was frozen before it got to the store.
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