How to choose a chest freezer for your home

The chest freezer, which until recently was only in demand in stores, is now firmly established in many homes. Large families who buy a lot of food at the same time, rural residents, vegetarians, fishermen, and hunters are very happy with it. For them, the freezer is not spacious enough - it is difficult to put a whole goose carcass there for Christmas or a large fish.

How to choose a chest freezer for your home

Before you make a purchase, you should answer a few questions:

1. How much frozen food does a family need per month? If you just don't have enough space in a regular freezer, then there is no point in buying a large freezer. You can limit yourself to models with a capacity of up to 200 liters. They are cheaper and will not be empty.
2. How long do large frozen foods (fish, poultry and rabbit carcasses, large pieces of meat, etc.) last?
3. Do you farm, fish, hunt, or live in a rural area? It is for these categories of the population that a large-capacity chest freezer will become a real salvation. It will fit fish, game, meat, butter, frozen berries, fruits and vegetables.

Having assessed your needs, you can begin choosing the right model.

Appearance

Today, manufacturers offer a wide selection of chest freezer models. For stores, freezers with a transparent lid are most often chosen - they retain the cold and the goods are clearly visible to the buyer. Chests with a durable, thermally insulated lid are better suited for the home, because it can be used as an additional surface: to place dishes, plants, or place a microwave. You can also purchase models with a colored coating, black, red or blue, or you can decorate the chest freezer yourself using self-adhesive film.

Having examined the models from the outside, let's take a look inside. Many manufacturers complete their products with special baskets for storing products separately. There can be from one to three, depending on the capacity and size of the chest. Baskets are very convenient for storing things that often need to be taken out: frozen vegetables, herbs, cut fish, chicken or minced meat. For those products that are “shelved” there is free space under the baskets. Large pieces or whole carcasses can easily fit there.

Noise level

Modern chest freezers not only consume little electricity, but are also very quiet in operation. An appliance operating in the kitchen or living room is almost inaudible from the bedroom. To find out how noisy a particular model is, just ask the seller to plug it into the network.

IMPORTANT! An empty chest freezer is twice as loud as a full one.

What are the temperature regimes and climate classes?

When choosing a freezer, you should consider not only its capacity, but also the characteristics of the products that will be stored in it. Based on the freezing temperature, chests are divided into medium-temperature (they can maintain temperatures down to -45 degrees) and low-temperature (they freeze in the range from -10 to +10 degrees).

It is also important to consider the climate in your area. Not all chest freezers can work for a long time in hot weather. The accumulation of condensation when the climate class of the freezer and the ambient temperature do not match will force the device to work at the limit and it will quickly fail.

Chest freezers are produced in 4 main climate classes:

1. Class N is designed for use in an apartment where the temperature ranges from 16 to 32 degrees Celsius.
2. Class SN is suitable for a corridor or hallway where the temperature is from 10 to 32 degrees.
3. Class ST is ideal for the kitchen, where the temperature averages from 18 to 38 degrees.
4. And for residents of the southern regions, where the heat can reach 45 degrees, class T is suitable.

IMPORTANT! The correctly selected climatic type of chest is a guarantee of its long-term, impeccable service. Don’t be lazy and use a thermometer to measure the temperature in the room where the freezer will be placed.

Defrost type

The bulk of modern chest freezers are equipped with a self-defrosting system. Frost and ice do not accumulate in the chamber and do not need to be turned off. Only inexpensive models of the previous generation will have to be defrosted manually.

Control type

The choice of control method for a chest freezer depends on the preferences of the buyer. There are models with mechanical regulation and automatic ones. Some manufacturers add an additional temperature display screen and sound. Accordingly, the options are reflected in the final cost.

Additional features and specifications

In addition to the temperature indication, the price of the freezer is affected by:

1. Energy saving class. For constant use, it is better to choose A+ class models, then energy costs will be significantly reduced. And if the chest is used only from time to time, then it makes no sense to overpay for low-cost models, the difference is not that big.
2. Duration of autonomous cold storage. This option is simply necessary for residents of rural areas. Either a tree will fall on the wire, or it will be torn off by the wind, and the emergency gang will travel for half a day! During this time, frozen foods will turn into jelly. Chest freezers can maintain a low temperature for up to 8 hours if specified by the manufacturer. Be sure to check this point when purchasing.
3. Shape and color. Classic white rectangular freezers will cost much less than their colored counterparts of the original shape. If the chest will decorate the kitchen, then it makes sense to overpay, but if you need a “workhorse” for the pantry or hallway, then it is better to save.

Buying a chest freezer will keep food fresh longer, make it possible to purchase meat or vegetables in bulk and save energy.