Smokin-It 3D
Weber Kettle with an SNS
Masterbuilt kettle that I call the $30 wonder grill
Bullet by Bull Grills gasser
Anova WiFi sous vide machine
Thermoworks Thermapen and Chef Alarm
I have an upright, manual defrost. Love having it and the space. It works great and have had it for some time (knock on wood)......
I don’t know if I would like a chest freezer. Maybe I would once I figured out a system for it to store everything, but...I don’t know. Upright seems easier to get things in and out of. But someone may have a system that works great that I could learn about.
I would not get a chest freezer because the more you put in it the more you have to dig to get to what you want, if you remember it's in there. I've never owned one but my friend's dad did and this was his constant complaint.
That said I have a vertical freezer with manual defrost that I inherited and I wish it had auto defrost. Ice is building up a lot and as far as I can tell there isn't ever a good time to have to pull out the stockpile of meat and find a way to keep it frozen while the ice melts.
I did an upright with auto defrost. Got it new at a appliance store scratch and dent section. The side had a big dent and was scratched but I put it in my garage, first of many to come...
So, the reason I ask about Frost free is this from thekitchn.com: "The frost-free freezers eliminate frost by raising the temperature inside the freezer a few times a day, from about 0 degrees to 32 degrees."
Exactly why I would not use one for long term food storage. That defrost cycle is what ruins ice cream and forms ice crystals inside packages of frozen food.
Boo. Hiss. Exactly th anithesis to long-term fozen peeservation.
Probly exponetially worse, if yer slongin Benji's all round, gittin SRF, an such, er even local Prime/CAB, etc...
ymmv
Easier to see and access items. Drawback is that if you try to fill the shelf it can act like Mr. Whoopee's closet. With some units, the shelf is part of the cooling system, so they are non-adjustable. When you open the door, the cold air spills out, so the unit must start up to cool back down. Top of unit is small and high, so you can store things on top, but must reach for them.
Chest;
Hard to see and access items. If it's at the bottom, you have to dig it out. Recommend putting things in stacking baskets. Since there are no shelves you can fit more in it. When you open the door, the cold air stays in the unit, so less energy used. Top of unit is wide and low, so you can store quite a bit on top, however it has to be moved off to access unit.
Either one you choose, a good idea is to have a whiteboard and write on it everything inside and erase when you remove it. Saves time searching through an open freezer.
I have an upright and it’s much easier to find things. However stuff can fall out (watch your toes) and occasionally the door doesn’t seal shut because something shifted. I put a lock on the door that holds it because I don’t want to risk the contents.
I can’t imagine why you’d need a frost free system for this. Even opening mine once a day I don’t get much frost. However the kitchen freezer is frost free and you need that because you are in and out of there all the time letting in humid air.
I am single and I have two uprights - one modern and one antique. I think they are easier to organize than chest freezers and I can fit more into them. Two is not enough
Newer one is frost free but the drain tends to freeze up and water spills into the bottom and freezes. Old one (a 1949 Firestone) is manual defrost, only have to defrost it once a year or two.
Equipment
Primo Oval xl
Slow n Sear (two)
Drip n Griddle
22" Weber Kettle
26" Weber Kettle one touch
Blackstone 36†Pro Series
Sous vide machine
Kitchen Aid
Meat grinder
sausage stuffer
5 Crock Pots Akootrimonts
Two chimneys (was 3 but rivets finally popped, down to 1)
cast iron pans,
Dutch ovens
Signals 4 probe, thermapens, chef alarms, Dots, thermapop and maverick T-732, RTC-600, pro needle and various pocket instareads. The help and preferences
1 extra fridge and a deep chest freezer in the garage
KBB
FOGO
A 9 year old princess foster child
Patience and old patio furniture
"Baby Girl" The cat
Also when you start tossing things around it breaks the vac seal which you never notice until the bag is slipping and sliding around the protein.
Also when you less than gently move stuff around many never notice but you mess up the protein.
it gets bruised and busted up.
I Love my chest freezer. Heavy and least used stuff on the bottom.
stuff does get away from you though and you have to toss it. Same for other freezers too. We all do it but a lil more "out of sight" with the cheats freezer.
rickgregory You say this is to be for long term storage. With that in mind, there is really no choice in my mind other than a manual defrost chest freezer. Those keep the set temperature of -10F or -20F or whatever you crank it down to 24/7, 365 days a year. Most modern uprights are unfortunately self defrosting, which means it cycles the temperature up to near 32F a couple of times a day, leading to slight thaw cycles on the food. Just like the freezer in your refrigerator.
Ever go to get a carton of ice cream out of the freezer after a couple of months, and its all gunky or covered in ice crystals, and gross? That is the effect of a self defrost cycle on ice cream, and other stuff in the freezer. This is what forms ice crystals on the surface of meat in packages, etc.
Uprights can be easier to organize, but unless you can find a manual defrost one, which may be difficult, I would go with a chest freezer. I'll keep stuff for 1-2 years with little degradation in quality of a brisket, butt, ribs, whatever. An upright that is self defrosting really won't do much better than the freezer in your fridge on how long you can keep stuff.
I have a small chest freezer right now, and use plastic egg crates to organize my meat, as they are stackable, and put larger items on the compressor hump. It has a basket that I position over the hump to store small items. Works pretty well for storing all my meat, hops for brewing, and wedding cake tops for my niece and daughter at the moment!
Equipment
Primo Oval xl
Slow n Sear (two)
Drip n Griddle
22" Weber Kettle
26" Weber Kettle one touch
Blackstone 36†Pro Series
Sous vide machine
Kitchen Aid
Meat grinder
sausage stuffer
5 Crock Pots Akootrimonts
Two chimneys (was 3 but rivets finally popped, down to 1)
cast iron pans,
Dutch ovens
Signals 4 probe, thermapens, chef alarms, Dots, thermapop and maverick T-732, RTC-600, pro needle and various pocket instareads. The help and preferences
1 extra fridge and a deep chest freezer in the garage
KBB
FOGO
A 9 year old princess foster child
Patience and old patio furniture
"Baby Girl" The cat
I've got a chest freezer. The complaints about them are accurate, but boy do they hold a lot. I use an app to track what's in there, when I put it in, etc. That way I don't forget about stuff. The app also helps me figure out what to smoke without having to open the freezer.
Grew up with a chest and have an upright now cause that's what the ex wanted. I'd rather a chest, lot easier to pile a bunch of crap which I like cause I ain't afraid to pile bunch of crap. I feel like everything is about to fall on me with the upright. I may switch to a chest when I move.
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