Table top freezer

*niptuckfan*

Afternoon folks, after a year being in my flat with no freezer i have purchased a table top one (no room for anything bigger) i am very excited. just wondered if it would be ok to have a microwave placed on top of it or not?

also effiecency and space saving do u find tubs/bags better for freezing.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I've done it. But the heat from the microwave makes the freezer have to work harder, which uses far more electricity. I think if I did it again, I'd have to get a quite thick piece of board to insulate one from the other.

joedenise

Bags are generally better for freezing as you can squash them into spaces that boxes won't go. If you have space in your freezer fill the gaps with bread if there space is big enough or screwed up newspaper if it's just a small gap. Helps the freezer to run more efficiently if it's full up.

Denise

*niptuckfan*

thanks! i could easily get some board to put between...ach im just so undecided....i really only use the micro for 2 things porridge and baking a potatoe before putting in the oven to crisp....my flat so little i dont have anywhere else for it to go am seriously thinking under the bed for the micro to see if i really miss it or not!

Elliesmum

Another bag voter here, for the same reason... squashes into corners, they are also a cheaper initial outlay. I can understand your excitement as I have just recently survived 10 months without a freezer.

Enjoy!

EM x

GreyQueen

Hi, am now in my 5th year with a tabletop freezer. I find a mixture of boxes and bags works best for me.

When I buy meat on YS it's usually in plastic tubs with several inches of space above the meat, which I can't afford to store. So I portion and poly-bag it.

I have homefrozen veggies in polybags, but favour those flat takeaway type plastic boxes (can get them in £land if you don't have any) for storing portions of homecooked food.

I have a plastic basket in there which is useful to corral small bags of stuff and stop them leaping out the freezer door whenever I open it. I also use some of those deep plastic fruit punnets to stack things in (block of cheese, polybags of fish or meat) to help maintain order.

Tiny freezers are very useful but you do have to be a dab hand at Tetris and not get too overexcited at the shop and overbuy. HTH.

Lettuce_Wraith

I doubt you need any sort of insulation under the microwave, unless you cook for long periods (20+ mins) and even that heat would be nominal, but try it and see, shove in a jacket spud and test if the underneath of the micro is even warm afterwards. All that's really in the bottom of a micro is the mechanism that rotates the turntable, so no heat there. Most microwaves suck in cool air on the side and expel it out the back and this is where it could possibly "compete" with you freezer. As your freezer is displacing the "heat" from the inside of the freezer and into the grill on the back of the freezer. So make sure that the rear of both the freezer and micro are at least 2 inches away from the wall so they can both efficiently vent their heat into the kitchen. Hot air rises, so with enough space the microwave will vent upwards.- and as you said they are standing on an open table top that shouldn't be a problem.

The key to an efficient and CHEAP running fridge / freezer is how easily it can vent the heat from the back of the unit into the surrounding air, so just give them room to breathe and don't ram them as far back onto the wall as possible and it will be fine. Also bonus points for shoving your freezer in a colder room / *cough* garage but it sounds like you are stuck for space and that's a no go.

Also a bag user and I rarely label them, so its like a luck dip when I pull out a curry / stew type meal.

*niptuckfan*

thanks for all ur great tips.I nipped into home bargains this morning and stocked up on some bags, did find nice once which are for pourable things like soup/sauces but stand so I think those will be usefuel….GreyQueen you are so right your tetris remark made me chuckle!