Is it worth buying a chest freezer?

Fruball

Please share anything chest freezer related with me so I can make a decision.

I am thinking of a 100 litre or 150 litre one and it will be kept outside in a brick shed just outside the back door.

Seen some from £129 - £159 (budget range) in Argos...

dandy-candy

I have been umming and ahhing about getting one too Frugal. As a kid growing up we had a HUGE chest freezer - like a double upright lying down IYFSWIM. We used it all the time but in my own home I have never had or needed one, except now that the price of food is going up and up I am thinking it would be good for buying up loads of offers (especially on meat) and storing them. I'm just not sure that after the purchase cost and extra electricity bills, it would still be a bargain?

Fruball

We had an enormous one too! I was young so to me it was the size of a small car It was kept in the garage

One of my reasons for getting one is that I am a real foodie - I adore cooking and eating really good food... but my problem is that my kitchen is tiny and just making a sandwich in there seems to make it look trashed (slightly exagerated but you get the idea), so, having a chest freezer would mean I wouldn't have to cook so often but can still enjoy lovely food

Plus stock up on bargains too

rising_from_the_ashes

I'd say it depends on what you want to use it for?

DM bought a new one and gave me her old drawer freezer.

She likes the chest freezer as she's a huge veg plot and it's great for storing all the veg in - she's found that putting each type of veg in a plastic bag makes it easier to "locate" and get them out, rather than hunting around for a pack of peas here, beans there etc.

If this is what you're wanting it for - they're ideal (and you can get a lot more in them than the equivalent size drawer type ones).

As a "normal" household freezer, for me, I hate them! It's really easy for stuff to get lost down at the bottom (and can be quite hard work digging them out), so for me, the drawer one is ideal!

Mine sits in the garage, so pretty similar to a shed. I'd recommend trying to sit it on something rather than the floor as it helps protect them when it's really cold (mine's on an old bit of kitchen worktop) and to ensure there's enough ventilation all the way around it (no piling things on top of it!) as it makes them run better = costs less.


HTH

lizzyb1812

Shall I? Shan't I? I just did!

I have an under the counter size freezer which is adequate for my needs for part of the year - I'm on my own. But over the last few years I've got more and more into growing my own food and have found myself needing more storage space for home grown stuff. Plus it was difficult to fit a couple of whoopsied chickens in the small freezer.

My new freezer is 171 litres. I've switched the old one off. The running costs of the new one will be about the same as the old one - the ads will usually give you a figure for annual kilowatt hours and you can therefore work out what it will cost you to run - in theory mine will cost £25 per year which is actually less than my older, smaller freezer. Even allowing for the fact that the advertised energy consumption may be a bit optimistic, like those mileage figures for new cars, the cost should still be well under £1 a week.

I won't recommend mine - so far it's absolutely fine but I've not had it long enough to make a fair observation. All the big firms give plenty of detail and user feedback. I used Sainsbury's/Quidco.

I've moved all my old frozen stuff into the new one and have started adding blackberries, tomatoes, etc. I'm also baking a couple of loaves per day to fill the space as they work more efficiently when mostly full. I've also zoned the freezer, proteins on one side, fruit & veg on the other and homemade "ready" meals in the middle and the food is in large plastic crates so I can get to it all easily.

Oops - I sound like a freezer salesperson :rotfl:I'm sure you will get plenty of replies - I am glad I finally took the plunge :j

lostinrates

I'm desperately trying to find plastic/cardboard boxes the right size for my immense freezer...we could get three or four cosy adults in there I think!...because of the ''rummage'' issue. ATM I have a meat box and a veg box, but not space efficient and gappy...gaps filled in with bread/dairy etc....

the thing I'd very, very strongly recomment is a freezer inventory. there is stuff on mine not on the inventory.....and honestly, I have forgotten what...so that is not in circulation and a BIG waste.

(we love freezers, I also have a small chest freezer.)

[Deleted User]

I had a great big one, twice and they are marvellous for holding lots of food, also the cold air sinks so they are economical to run. I could never have managed mine without a series of baskets and they were worth their weight in gold. I got a whole set to specifically fit my freezer. Being `outside` you do need to do a bit of research about which ones cope best with being in a cold area

All in all, don`t doubt yourself, get one

lizzyb1812

lostinrates - I found my usual plastic crates sloped at the sides and wasted space so I dug out some folding crates - the short ends swivel in and the long sides fold in half so you end up with something the size of the bottom of the crate but only about 7cm thick when not in use. All the sides are "holey". Because they are straight sided they waste no space and stack well. The long sides fit my freezer well. There is a gap left over once I've got 2 stacked on each side but that is big enough for a couple of those big pour and store cereal boxes - I'm using them for freeflow blackberries at the moment.

And you're right - an inventory is essential and it really doesn't take that long to do. I don't keep up with it every time I use or add something, I just spend 20 minutes once a month to redo it.

babyshoes

We have a small-ish chest freezer that we got off ebay. Almost all our meat is bought either on special offer or yellow stickered. It doesn't seem to take long to fill it up though, now usually both the freezer at the bottom of the fridge and the chest freezer are full to capacity, especially in fruit picking season. Trying to run them down a bit right now though, the fridge one needs defrosting!

Allegra

Oh go on go on go on go on go on, you know you want to Seriously, for a frugal foodie with a small kitchen (yep, me too), they are just about the sexiest kitchen appliance that is (shush now, sniggering at the back, we are all allowed a weird fetish or two). :P