According to dietitians, frozen foods are better than fresh foods because the freezing inhibits the growth of microorganisms that cause foods to spoil. They further advised that frozen foods should be consumed within 6 to 10 months for the best texture and flavor. Going by this, it means that freezers are necessities.
Now freezers may come in pigeon pairs with refrigerators. These units are well-designed to meet the needs of homeowners who have space constraints to deal with. But a standalone freezer becomes a basic necessity in other circumstances. For instance, as a family man or woman, you may need to buy your groceries and foods in bulk so that you don’t run out of what to eat soon. If that’s the case, there’s only little that a freezer in a combo unit can do because it doesn’t offer so much space.
Standalone freezers, on the other hand, are specifically designed for those who love ample real estate for their foods. Granted that they take up some square inches in your space, they are actually the best for storing perishable items like meat, soups, fish, and vegetables.
The other reason to have a standalone freezer is the exclusivity that your foods get to enjoy for as long as you want the frozen or depending on how long you want them there.
What if you don’t have a family at the moment? Having a standalone freezer will help you reduce your trips to the market or grocery store so that you can conserve time, gas, or the transport fares needed to get to the store.
If you also do a lot of hunting or fishing, then you definitely want to get a freezer to have your catch preserved and properly stored.
But how do you find the best freezer for you?
Not to worry, in this buying guide, we will let you in on factors and tips to consider before you shop for the perfect freezer.
Table of Contents
Types of Freezers
There are 3 kinds of standalone freezers: Upright freezers, chest freezers, and portable freezers. Here’s more information about each of these types:
Upright Freezers
Owing to the convenience and easy access that upright freezers offer, they are quite popular and can be found in a number of homes, diners, bars, and restaurants.
They are pretty easy to install and do not take so much space. When it comes to getting an upright freezer into your space, you can be certain that it will go through your standard hallways and doors.
Some may also come with a few compartment dividers for you to organize your food properly and in a fashion that you deem perfect.
However, upright freezers are on the high side of the general price scale for freezers. They also consume more energy than the other freezer types.
But they beat all other freezers hands down as per convenience, organization, and mobility.
Chest Freezers
These freezers are also known as deep freezers. They are quite popular because they are relatively low on energy consumption and are cheaper.
Of the 3 types of freezers, chest freezers offer the most capacity. So, restaurants, large families, and hunters will easily go for a chest freezer because of its capacity.
In essence, if you are still not sure of what to go for and you are looking for something to hold a large quantity of food, then allow us to recommend this to you.
Another reason to consider a chest freezer is that unlike the upright models, a chest freezer stays colder even after a power outage.
However, the challenge with chest freezers is that getting to items is not as easy as with upright freezers. You’ll need to bend and stretch your hand into the freezer to get to items at the bottom.
In some cases, you may need to remove the ones at the top first. This may get more complicated if the food items at the top are already frozen solid.
Chest freezers may also need manual defrosting every now and then which could get messy and tasking.
Nonetheless, the initial costs and operating costs of the average chest freezer are relatively lower.
Portable Freezers
If you are in the market for something that is even more budget-friendly, then you should consider going for a portable freezer. Now, while you win with costs, you may find its storage capacity rather small.
However, if you are not looking to keep so much in it, this may not be an issue.
What’s more? These freezers come with other features that you won’t readily find in an upright freezer or a chest freezer. Their portability features also make them must-haves for people who can sacrifice storage space for a handy, easy-access freezer.
You also get to enjoy the benefits of having a freezer during frequent camping, boating, or RVing. This is because this type of freezer is able to maintain a constant temperature even with the elements. It also means that unlike using an ice cooler, you don’t need to fill the freezer with some ice or deal with melted water. Point is, you only need to set a good temperature and you are good to go.
Factors to Consider Before You Buy a Freezer
Knowing that you need a standalone freezer gets you on the path to finding the right freezer. However, having a good idea of the important things to look out for will get you closer to finding it.
Here are some of the factors to consider before you buy a freezer.
1. Size.
The first thing you need to know about standalone freezers is that they usually require a sizable amount of space. If you, like many owners of standalone freezers, like the idea of a standalone freezer because the freezer compartment in your combo refrigerator is now too small, then you must have considered size.
However, we can help you put some perspective on that.
Before you start searching for the right freezer for you, one of the things you want to do is determine how much of your space you are willing to give up for the freezer.
You also need to know how much storage capacity will be enough to meet your needs.
Upright freezers, for instance, will fit into any kitchen space almost conveniently. They also get through doors and hallways easily. But they don’t offer so much interior capacity like chest freezers.
It means that if you are keen on storage space, then you should go for a good chest freezer.
Note that even though chest freezers tend to offer more capacity than upright freezers, chest freezers come in different sizes and capacities too.
Check out this video for tips and tricks on how to organize a chest freezer:
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2. Cost.
Apart from the initial cost of buying the freezer, you also want to factor in the operating costs. So, a model that is energy-efficient should be your top priority for the most part.
Typically, the upright models consume more energy and are more expensive than the chest freezers. The freezer also tends to be more expensive if it has features such as automatic defrost. The extra cost may not be an issue if you particularly don’t like the idea of defrosting manually.
Chest freezers usually cost between $250 and $1,500 while upright freezers may go for as low as $200 or as high as $3,000.
3. Energy Consumption.
Freezers should be on almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week because of the foods being stored in them. This translates to a significant amount of energy consumption.
This is why energy-efficient models are good investments. You save a few bucks on electric bills and maintenance won’t cost so much.
If you are not sure that the freezer you want is energy-efficient, the easiest way to make a choice will be to check if it is certified by Energy Star.
4. Usage Frequency.
If you can estimate how frequently you and other users around you will need to use the freezer, it will help you determine what exactly you should go for.
For instance, a restaurant will need a large freezer to store fish, meat, and vegetables. Depending on the demand for the food items, the restaurant may need to fill it quite often.
Families that love pizza or do platter food often may also be on the lookout for a freezer that offers ample space. And if you as a family man or woman have observed a pattern in how often trips to the grocery store are made, it can influence your choice of the kind of freezer that will cater to your needs.
So, it’s up to you to decide what you’ll like to store in the freezer and how often you’ll be filling it.
5. Organization.
Upright freezers tend to appeal more to buyers because they usually make it easy to store and organize food for easy access. This is in contrast to what chest freezers offer.
A typical upright freezer comes with dividers to make accessing food pretty easy. Chest freezers are not totally incompetent when it comes to organization. They usually feature hanging baskets to deal with how foods are arranged.
But you will still do a great deal of food stacking eventually, including bending so low to reach food items at the bottom.
6. Noise Level.
Freezers make a certain level of noise. That’s a given. However, some are noisier than others.
Not sure how to determine the noise level of a particular freezer that you’ve been eyeing for a while? Then it should help to know that freezers that require manual defrosting tend to be quieter than the ones that defrost automatically.
For more specific information about the noise levels of a particular product, users’ comments on online stores like Amazon can be lifesavers. Meanwhile, ensure that you look out for the noise range specified by the manufacturer.
7. Performance after Blackouts.
The performance of a freezer after a blackout shouldn’t be a thing to worry about if you have constant power supply and rarely experience power outages. However, if you experience blackouts often or on some occasions, then we suggest you opt for a chest freezer. Chest freezers are known to perform remarkably well after a blackout.
A freezer that performs well after a blackout is the lifejacket you need to avoid wastage and smelly spoilt food that will require an annoying cleaning chore.
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8. Other Features.
We’ve been able to give you adequate information about what to look for in a freezer before you add it to your cart. But there are still a number of other features to check out if you want the best freezer.
Locks: the lock on a freezer may be all you need to keep the adventurous little ones away from the freezer. Those adorable creatures can make a glorious mess of your freezer if allowed access to it. More so, knowing that opening the door frequently may reduce the performance of the freezer, you definitely want to keep your kids away.
Soft Freeze: This feature is a necessity for ice cream lovers. If you are one, then you should consider freezers that have the soft freeze function. A soft freeze feature will prevent your ice cream from getting so frozen solid and stiff that it becomes difficult to enjoy the ice cream.
Refrigerator option: This is optional for the most part. However, if you think that on some occasions you’ll prefer a refrigeration function, then you should prioritize this. You may have already figured by now that you won’t always want your food items frozen but just chilled.
A good freezer that allows you to switch between the temperature range of a freezer and a refrigerator will be awesome in such cases.
Check out these highly-rated freezers on Amazon below:
Conclusion
It’s been loads of information so far in this buying guide. But we sure hope that you are in a better position to make a well-informed choice of a freezer.
Remember that a good freezer is a freezer that caters to your storage needs, is energy-efficient, fits well into your available space, has a low noise level, and ultimately keeps your items well-frozen.
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