Need a freezer

[hitek79]

Gonna start buying beef in bulk, so I need to get a stand alone freezer. Looking around I can spend $200 or I can spend $500. Anyone know what the difference is? We're not buying some much that it's going to be frozen for 4-6 months, so can I get away with spending a bit less?

[bagtagley]

Bought a 15-20 year old upright from my MIL's neighbor for 25 bones. Fucker purs and looks like new. My folks have a 30 year-old chest freezer that also purs, and has never had an issue.

Moral: buy used.

[Cyber Cop]

This thread would have been better if it involved dead hookers.

[Cyber Cop]

it's never too late...

[hitek79]

Crawl space is for the dead hookers.

[sb]

The older freezers run great but use a ton of energy. I would recommend a chest freezer if you have the floor space for it. That way if you ever need to you can convert it to a kegerator. The chest design is much more efficient than the upright and if you keep it full most of the time there is that thermal mass thing of all the frozen stuff.

We went with a manual defrost upright for food storage, if you time it right not a big deal and much cheaper.

Usually the difference in cost boils down to size and if it is auto defrost or manual.

[hitek79]

Cool, good info. In Denver there's a Sears with a Scratch and Ding outlet. We've picked up some crazy deals there on a washer/dryer combo, so I think we'll hit it up this weekend and see what we can find. If nothing there we'll check out Craigslist too.

[pointemstraight]

Also a fan of the upright with manual defrost. They are harder to find with less options, but I prefer it to a 'frostless' freezer which cycles the temps slightly. I find I can keep stuff frozen for longer and it's still 'fresh' when you pull it out.

[Game Over]

if you have the option get your beef sealed in kryovac instead of butcher paper. it will last 18-24 months compared to 6.

[irul&ublo]

if you have the option get your beef sealed in kryovac instead of butcher paper. it will last 18-24 months compared to 6.

same w/ dead hookers

[ass-to-mouth]

Crawl space is for the dead teenage boys.

FIFY

[toast2266]

Can't say I'm much of a freezer afficionado (I compost all of my dead hookers - it's good for the environment), but we have a cheap chest freezer from Home Depot. It works fine and doesn't seem to frost much. We keep it in the garage, so in the colder months I don't even think it kicks on very often.

[DougW]

Is there a problem with a deep freeze in a unheated space? I see lots of people put them in garages but is there any thing to watch for with that?

[Sinecure]

Go to Costco and buy one of those Foodsaver vacuum baggers. I vacuum store all the meat I put in the freezer and it works so much better than ziploc baggies or other solutions. I end up using it a fair amount since I'm single but like to buy food in bulk.

[DJSapp]

Go to Costco and buy one of those Foodsaver vacuum baggers. I vacuum store all the meat I put in the freezer and it works so much better than ziploc baggies or other solutions. I end up using it a fair amount since I'm single but like to buy food in bulk.

While you're there, check and see if they have freezers too. I picked up my 7 cuft chest freezer there for under $200.

[sparkletarte.]

'frostless' freezer which cycles the temps slightly.

They cycle temps a lot- to be frost free, they bring the temp up to just above freezing so the ice melts, then they refreeze. It's a great way to get freezer burned food. My house fridge freezer is frost free and there's always sticky berry juice on the bottom of it from that.

They are fine in unheated spaces, people put them on their porches (not a good idea in bear areas though).

I prefer a chest freezer because they keep the cold in better, however an upright is easier to find stuff. Chest freezers are cheaper. Get the size closest to what you'll fill, because they are cheaper to run when full. If they are near empty, put big jugs of water in them to hold the cold.

Used is great.

[CMSIV]

While you're there, check and see if they have freezers too. I picked up my 7 cuft chest freezer there for under $200.

Yeah, I got a Haier chest freezer from costco. It works great and had enough room for 200lbs of buffalo. Chest freezers are the way to go, if the power goes out the freezer won't leak cold air as fast.

[Tippster]

Craigslist. No need to spend more than $100 on a chest freezer.

[GeezerSteve]

The babe bought a side of grass-fed beef so I had to get a smallish chest freezer. Got an energy-efficient one from Sears which fit just right in our space. Don't recall the brand (GE?) or the exact price, but it was cheaper than I had expected.

[flatlander#2]

Goddamn global warming.

My parents had chest freezers, two of them in the basement of their big ass old house. Both crapped out about same time. My Dad chainsawed them apart, put in a walk in. When I was little, probably 8 or 9, some slutty babysitter let us watch Amityville Horror. I wouldn't go downstairs to fetch jack shit out of those things for years.

[BCMtnHound]

Is there a problem with a deep freeze in a unheated space? I see lots of people put them in garages but is there any thing to watch for with that?

Old appliance tech some years ago told me that when external temps fall below the thermostat setting, the compressor does not run. If the compressor does not run for long periods of time, the bearings in the compressor can seize, or you may get small coolant leaks in the system. Same applies to air conditioning systems in vehicles over the winter - it's good to run the AC now and again to lube all the parts and circulate the coolant.
Garage is better than an exposed porch, a room heated just above freezing is best of all.

[irul&ublo]

Yeah, I got a Haier chest freezer from costco. It works great and had enough room for 200lbs of buffalo...

I always wondered what happened to Norton

[hitek79]

Half of my garage is for my wife's car, the other half is for bikes. Freezer will reside warmly in the basement.

[GeezerSteve]

I always wondered what happened to Norton

I was fortunate to see him with SMB shortly before he died. do do do do do do livin' in the USA

[Spats]

+1 on not getting "frost-free"...all it does is fuck up your food. Note: keep temperatures at about 0-5 degrees F and things will frost less because they never get close to melting.

A new freezer will be many times more energy-efficient than an older freezer. How much this matters depends on where you live, whether the freezer is inside or outside, and how often you plan on moving. If you can find a $50 or under freezer on Craigslist and might move in a year or two, jump on it...but watch your electric bill carefully if you buy an old upright, because some of them are massive energy pigs.

The smaller the freezer, the more energy-efficient it is. A 7 cubic foot cheapo chest freezer will cost about half as much to run as a 14 cf Energy Star-rated freezer...so choose the smallest freezer that still holds what you need it to.

Save milk jugs and 2L soda bottles: fill them about 3/4 with water (ice expands) and take up the empty freezer space with ice. The temperature will stay more stable and it'll stay frozen longer in a blackout.

Chest freezers are much more efficient, far cheaper to buy when new, and seem to hold their value much better when used. Uprights use more juice and cost more new, but don't seem to cost any more used than a chest freezer. Frankly, we've all got freezer compartments in our kitchen, so I don't see a need for an upright for meat storage (yes, I've owned both).

ALWAYS DATE ANYTHING YOU PUT IN THE FREEZER. Keep a permanent marker next to the freezer. Month and year is fine. Like steepconcrete said, vacuum-packed meat will last over a year vs. paper-wrapped, which lasts about 6 months.

Freezer sales seem to happen on Black Friday and right afterward because it's deer season.