Freezers - Upright or Chest?

[timb]

We've found that using one of the vacuum-pack units (that pull all the air out of a poly bag, then heat seal it) can work wonders for avoiding long-term freezer burn - regardless of style of freezer.

It seems very helpful on meat and even better on fish fillets. Much better than even double-wrapping with good freezer paper.

I'll admit that for some of the suggested uses in the instructions and commercials for these units it seems like a bit over the top but - it is worth it if you're storing meat or fish long-term.


Tim

 

[Bird]

I think you're right, Tim, that those would be a very good idea. We just never had one.

 

[fishman]

I have used both chest and uprights and they both have their advantages. It just depends on what you plan to do with it. If you buy a side of beef and freeze a half-acre of sweet corn, you won't be happy with an upright.

I currently have a small upright (about 10 cu.ft.) and it's really really easy to keep things rotated and used. A LOT less wastage with one of those units. The one I have requires defrosting, but I haven't found that to be too much of a hassle. It easily holds a couple of deer, several packs of fish, the occasional half-hog my sister gives me, packs of assorted fruits and vegetables, and the odd duck or two to take to the taxidermist. Right now it also has about 20 homemade apple pies in it.

If it's really full, it is advisable not to rummage around without having shoes on. Ouch!

The current plan is to get an additional small chest freezer expressly for storing large items (flour, rice, what have you) as well as large amounts of deer when needed. Unfortunately, this year the deer never materialized, so we put the freezer on hold./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

In short, I really like the upright freezer. If you have similar needs as I and space is of no concern, my advice would be to get the largest upright you can find. Bending over and rummaging around in a chest freezer gets old, and frostbitten mashed fingers hurt!

 

[timb]

Just don't get carried away with what you vacuum. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

We were packing up the "deep stores" of various odd grain flours etc., - and I had the bright idea of doing some pasta as well. Let's just say the effect on egg noodles was... interesting. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif Not sure what kind of vacuum this thing pulls, but even a net 5 psi air pressure over the area of an 8x12 vacuum bag is a little more than pasta was built for!

Works great if you spring for the "hard side" containers.

But - as I mentioned the biggest improvement was in long term fish storage. Trout, Salmon - works wonders.

 

[Cacinok]

Slightly off topic, but following a small trend. I'll second Tim's posts about vacuum sealing. We've had one for about two years and it dramatically increases storage times -- not just for meat. We vacuum seal everything, salad, cheese, chips etc. Simply sealing many things preserves them longer than leaving them open. We seal chips in their own bag, not much air gets sucked out, but the bag is sealed and no new air gets in, chips don't get stale as fast.
My wife found that if you seal your meat w/ your favorite marineade (sp?) the meat has a richer flavor.

Clint.

 

[MDNick]

My folks had a big chest freezer, whole beef, whole hog, whole lamb (yeah, the entire shoebox full), fish, veggies, turkey, it all fit. Dad would just stand there with the lid open and smile. Said it made him feel rich. Mom is short, not quite 5', so when the 25 yr old chest freezer crapped out, they thought that an upright would be better. She hated it. Unless you buy mostly pot pies and frozen pizza's (i.e., nice square boxes), you just won't get as much in them. It worked well for me, they gave me the 2 year old up right and bought a chest freezer. I can't say that I like the upright, but couldn't beat the price.

I would personally only buy a chest freezer if there was the floor space.

 

[cowboydoc]

I'd have to completely second Bird's opinion. That is exactly my thoughts on them as well having owned both over the years.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Well it looks like a chest freezer it will be. Do you know if you can stand them up to make it around a corner? I will put it in the basement, but its tight at the bottom of the stairs. I know a 22 cu ft refrigerator will fit down the stairs, just do not know it standing it that way will destroy the unit. What do you think?

 

[GaryM]

I'm pretty certain you can stand them up for transport. Just be sure to let it sit in the normal position for a while before plugging it in. They usually have oil in the comprssor and you want it to not be in the lines or other places it's not supposed to be. I'd leave it for a day or so. You could always check with the manufacturer.

 

[ScottAR]

I work at a big box and what the sales people say is if it lays down (or stands up in your case) for 1hr, it needs to sit in the normal position for 3hrs and so on and so on. HTH