Which is better - a freezer or a chest?

The development of modern technologies has led to the fact that the constantly updated and expanding range of household appliances poses a difficult choice task for the consumer. This is clearly reflected in the possibility of using refrigerators, freezers or chests to preserve food. But if refrigerators appeared quite a long time ago, the opportunity to use chest freezers and chambers (cabinets) appeared relatively recently.

The prototype of modern household freezing devices is industrial equipment. The shape and purpose of the products are also a complete reflection of industrial designs, only in reduced sizes, designed for operation exclusively in domestic conditions.

Chest freezer and chamber - features and differences

Both the freezer and chest freezer are designed to create and maintain low-temperature conditions for freezing food. It is not always possible to purchase a multifunctional refrigerator. And the dimensions of modern multi-chamber, multi-door refrigerators do not always fit into the kitchen space. So it turns out that having a freezer or chest is the best option when choosing the necessary equipment. Designed to perform similar functions, these products have their own individual characteristics.The main difference between them is the shape of the device.

The freezer is designed for vertical loading of food, similar to a conventional refrigerator. Shelves, drawers, and baskets installed inside the chamber allow you to sort products intended for storage. Modern freezers belong to the category of built-in appliances. Regardless of whether they are included in the kitchen equipment set or purchased separately, freezers fit harmoniously into the interior of a kitchen of any size.

Chest freezer, single-chamber design, with horizontal loading method. The main part of the internal space (bottom) is free and allows you to accommodate a sufficient amount of food. There are fasteners mounted in the upper part, to which, if necessary, you can hang additional containers (boxes, baskets) for products not intended for joint storage. The shape and dimensions require sufficient free space.

What parameters should you pay attention to when choosing

The main parameters that people pay attention to when choosing household refrigeration equipment are:

• useful internal volume (capacity);
• power;
• Energy consumption;
• freezing class;
• availability of additional functions;
• price.

Capacity

If we compare this indicator, then the chest has an advantage. The useful volume can reach 550 liters, versus 350 liters for the camera. But this advantage only makes sense if large quantities of food are to be stored for a long time. A chest with a maximum volume will take up too much space and the energy consumption will be quite significant.Usually a volume of 350 liters is enough for a family.

Power consumption

With constantly rising electricity tariffs, this indicator is important for almost every owner of household equipment. The consumption of electricity directly depends on the power of the equipment used. Chest freezers have an advantage in this regard. The design allows for the lid to open upward. According to the laws of physics, cold air masses are kept below and when the chest is opened, there is no sharp increase in temperature inside the unit.

The freezer opens like a regular refrigerator. With frequent tearing, intense mixing of air masses will occur and, therefore, additional time will be required to create an optimal regime inside the chamber, and this will lead to additional energy consumption. There is one more nuance. Modern chambers can be equipped with two compressors to regulate the temperature in individual compartments (chambers). This is also an additional energy consumption.

Control system

Each manufacturer tries to offer the consumer a unit with a practically autonomous control system over specified operating modes. It is difficult to separate different management principles. Manual, electromechanical, electronic control, one way or another, requires preliminary adjustment to the optimal mode. The only advantage of the electronic control system is the ability to view all significant parameters on the display, where you can also find information about possible problems in the operation of the equipment. Most often, an electronic control system is used in freezers.

REFERENCE! Some models have an electronic protection unit against accidental shutdown through the controls and protection against accidental switching of the cooling mode.

Power

The power indicator of the selected freezing unit is somewhat different from the generally accepted concept. Here, the power is determined by the number of products that need to be frozen, without allowing the simultaneous defrosting of the products already inside. For a volume of 100 liters, the optimal capacity is 5 kg/day. For freezers with a capacity of up to 200 liters, which are most often used in ordinary families, you should focus on a capacity of 16 kg/day.

Availability of additional functions

Most models of household freezing equipment have additional functions. Automatic defrosting of the unit allows for periodic defrosting of the chamber with simultaneous discharge of the resulting moisture. But in this case, there is a forced reduction in the useful volume of the freezer due to additionally installed equipment (No Frost).

The super freezing function is mainly used in units intended for long-term storage (chest freezers). Super freezing ensures simultaneous freezing of a large number of food items.

IMPORTANT! It should be remembered that in this case the unit operates in “emergency” mode and it is not recommended to keep the quick freezing system turned on for more than a day.

The autonomous cold storage function is designed to preserve food longer in the event of a power outage. In this case, there is an automatic switch to an autonomous power source (battery) or a device is used that is a plastic container with a liquid that has a low freezing temperature threshold. In the absence of electricity, the liquid gradually heats up, giving up its cold to the freezer, which allows for longer shelf life.

Freezing temperature

When choosing a model, buyers mainly focus on average freezing temperatures (from -18ºC to -24ºC). This is enough to create an optimal freezing and storage regime for most products.

Based on the above, we can conclude that if you need to store food for a short period and in small volumes, it would be better to purchase a freezer. If you have a large number of products and need to ensure long shelf life, choose a chest. The final decision remains with the consumer.