Chest or closet? How to choose a freezer

Harvest and fishing season is upon us, and freezing is one of the easiest ways to preserve nature's bounty. The freezer compartment of the refrigerator does not always cope with a large amount of food during this period, so additional storage is often required for berries, mushrooms, meat and fish. When choosing a separate freezer, it is also important to decide on its type: it can be a horizontal chest or a vertical cabinet. It is important to pay attention to other aspects when choosing the right model.

It is important to understand that the choice of freezer depends not only on its dimensions and occupied space. For example, an upright cabinet takes up less floor space, but each type of freezer has its own advantages and disadvantages.

You will find several advantages in chest freezers:

1. Large capacity compared to cabinets of the same volume — models often offer a volume of 400 liters and above.
2. Many models are suitable for use in unheated areas.
3. The interior space is not zoned, which is convenient for storing large products such as meat and fish.
4. Almost all chests require manual defrosting, which helps to avoid overdrying of food, including meat, which is especially important.

There are some disadvantages to chest freezers:

1. Inefficient use of space and large footprint.
2. Lack of built-in models — only free-standing ones are available.
3. Many models do not have a shelf for carefully freezing food in one layer; Sometimes you can temporarily use a baking tray or wire rack on top, but they are rarely included.
4. Poor visibility of products located below due to deep location.
5. Most home models require manual defrosting instead of the automatic No Frost system.

For home use, chest freezers and cabinets with a closed lid are usually chosen. Transparent lids are more often used in cafes and stores where visual accessibility of products is important. One of the useful functions for the chest is the lid closer, which ensures smooth closing.

• there are built-in freezers
• some models operate in both freezer and refrigerator modes with a positive temperature range

• rational use of space
• You can re-hung the door to the other side
• Wide variety of sizes and numbers of boxes
• there are shelves for careful quick freezing of dumplings and berries
• Most modern models have a No Frost system, that is, no need to defrost
• clear zoning of space, the ability to store products separately by category

If you need to accommodate a large item, you can pull out one or two drawers, and some models also offer the ability to reconfigure the drawer to accommodate larger items.

• you have to remember or sign in which box what is stored, whereas in a chest the top layer is immediately visible
• There are practically no models suitable for unheated rooms

Interestingly, although lari are considered to be more energy efficient due to lower cold losses, this is not always reflected in energy efficiency classes. Typically, for both chests and volume cabinets, the energy efficiency classes are mainly A+ or A++, however, the lower class A is more often found in chests.

The type of compressor that truly affects energy efficiency: an inverter reduces energy consumption by an average of 30% and reduces noise levels. Inverter freezers operate with a noise level of up to 40 dB, while freezers with traditional compressors can reach 45 or even 50 dB, which may be unacceptable for rooms with a kitchen studio or sleeping areas.

Freezing power is measured in kg/day and shows how many kilograms of food at room temperature per day can be frozen to deep freezing (usually −18 °C). If you load your freezer gradually, this parameter may not be so important, and you can choose a device with low (7-12 kg/day) or medium (13-19 kg/day) freezing capacity. However, if you need to quickly freeze, for example, several large fish, it is worth considering a model with a high freezing capacity of 20 to 30 kg/day. If you choose a device with low freezing power, the food will still freeze, but the compressor will work at the limit of its capabilities, which can lead to rapid wear.

The mode involves temporarily lowering the temperature to −24 and even −32 °C, especially in the case of a large load, so that the products freeze faster and retain their structure and properties. It is recommended to activate this mode in advance, before loading. When choosing a freezer, it is important to pay attention to the duration of this mode, the ability to adjust its time depending on the volume of food, and the presence of an auto-shut-off function.

Some foods may clump together when frozen, making them difficult to prepare and altering their shape, texture and taste. In order to avoid sticking of meatballs, dumplings, berries or mushrooms when freezing, it is recommended to carefully arrange them in one layer. Some freezer models have special shelves that make life much easier for those who are used to freezing food in bulk. Chests also sometimes include a tray that can be stored vertically when not in use.

There are four climate classes for freezers:

• SN (subnormal): suitable for use at temperatures from +10 to +32 °C.
• N (normal): intended for use in conditions from +16 to +32 °C.
• ST (subtropical): suitable for temperatures from +16 to +38 °C.
• T (tropical): designed for operation in conditions from +16 to +43 °C.

This parameter is important when choosing where to install the freezer. For example, for cold rooms such as terraces, garages or summer houses, a freezer with climate class SN is suitable. If the freezer will be installed in a hot room with direct sunlight, it is recommended to choose a model with class T. There are also freezers with Frost Protect technology for use in unheated rooms.

Sometimes unexpected situations happen, and a good freezer should ensure the safety of food. In models with high-quality thermal insulation, subzero temperatures can last up to 12–28 hours, and the longer this time, the better. If the device has a function to delay the start of the compressor after power is restored, this helps to avoid breakdowns. Also, the memory function, which restores the operating mode after a power failure, protects products: for example, it prevents the cabinet from turning on in refrigerator mode instead of freezer mode.

If you need a chest for home use, and not for a store or cafe, you should not overpay for a glass lid — it is better to choose a model with a blind lid.

The antibacterial coating of freezers is more of a marketing gimmick than a truly useful feature. Silver ions are, of course, good for fighting odors, but for basic stains it is best to use regular products such as cleaning solutions or baking soda, especially in hard-to-reach areas, crevices and seals where the antibacterial coating does not work.

Touch control. The freezer is a simple device with a small number of functions and modes, so electromechanical (with rotary mode switches) or push-button control is sufficient for control.

• Possibility of installation close to the wall
• Internal LED camera illumination
• door open signal
• display with minimal information about the current temperature conditions
• Drawer height adjustment via pull-out panel
• chest lid closer

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Choosing a freezer is not a difficult task, but it is important to understand several key parameters and features of chests and cabinets, as well as be able to distinguish marketing techniques that you should not pay attention to.