Best small freezer (5-7 cu ft)??
m...@privacy.net
should one just shop for price alone?
Id prefer a very efficient one...even if small (5 cu
ft)...... but not sue any diff between brands in this
size range
Advice?
Dee Dee
<m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:09dmb39h7r5t0ph0s...@4ax.com...
I shopped price and bought one at Costco. I have no regrets. I use it only
for meat. I believe it was $200, a Whirlpool. But I wouldn't have bought
it had it not been a recognizable brand and the price was right.
Dee Dee
m...@privacy.net
>> Advice?
>
>I shopped price and bought one at Costco. I have no regrets. I use it only
>for meat. I believe it was $200, a Whirlpool. But I wouldn't have bought
>it had it not been a recognizable brand and the price was right.
>Dee Dee
What size is yours?
How many cu feet?
Dee Dee
<m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:ok2pb35emotam7r1s...@4ax.com...
I looked up my notes which say:
$179.99
7 cubic feet
35 x 31 x 24.4
7-1-06
Kent
<m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:09dmb39h7r5t0ph0s...@4ax.com...
you want to use it for
some longer storage. I think it's important for it to be non-frost free, so
meat and other items will dry out less.
We have a chest freezer that was about $200 we bought at Sears about ten
years ago. We've had zero problems.
We wouldn't be without it.
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/search.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&keyword=chest+freezer&vertical=APPL
Good Luck,
Kent
pltrgyst
>If you have the space, consider buying a small chest freezer, especially if
>you want to use it for
>some longer storage. I think it's important for it to be non-frost free, so
>meat and other items will dry out less.
If you wrap things properly or vacuum seal them, that shouldn't be a factor,
should it?
>We have a chest freezer that was about $200 we bought at Sears about ten
>years ago. We've had zero problems.
How often do you have to defrost it? I haven't had to defrost a reefer or
freezer in my adult life, so I'd sure be out of practice. I remember my mom
taking all day to do it, though. 8;)
-- Larry
Kent
"pltrgyst" <pltr...@spamlessxhost.org> wrote in message
news:km5qb3p1g173mcfl4...@4ax.com...
igloo. I think the last
time we defrosted was several years ago. Even if you feel rigid about this,
defrosting isn't required very often. If you think about it, if there's a
little water vapor from frozen crystals in there that helps everything.
I don't defrost until I can't find what's on the bottom of the freezer. At
this moment it's an upcoming weekend project. It's not that hard to do. An
important thing about chest freezers is that cold air is heavier than warm
air. Therefore when you open a freezer from the top, everything works better
because the frozen air stays down. There is much less loss of cold from the
outside, compared to the usual upright freezer. I'd bet 10X as much.
Best of Luck,
Kent
Actually, now, living in CA, I enjoy the igloo look. You do, however, need
to see what's there.
Dee Dee
I just noticed the date of purchase on the one I bought 7-1-06; it's NOT
auto defrost. There's no frost on it today. Of course, it's for meat only
and I don't open it except for that.
Yes, I remember in the late 50's I had a chest freezer, it always needed
defrosting - we bought it for a quarter (or some size) beef. There must be
a tighter seal now as well, but I'm guessing. Perhaps better insulation.
Whatta mess! Yes, it did take all day. I'd like to have some of those days
back.
Dee Dee
pltrgyst
>We basically don't. When you go in there now it looks somewhat like an
>igloo. I think the last
>time we defrosted was several years ago. Even if you feel rigid about this,
>defrosting isn't required very often.
I would think that eventually you'd lose significant capacity from the ice
build-up.
> At this moment it's an upcoming weekend project. It's not that hard to do.
But what do you do with your frozen food while you're defrosting? Or do you have
to plan a month ahead and eat up everything first?
> An important thing about chest freezers is that cold air is heavier than warm
>air. Therefore when you open a freezer from the top, everything works better
>because the frozen air stays down. There is much less loss of cold from the
>outside, compared to the usual upright freezer. I'd bet 10X as much.
You mean heat *rises*? Go on -- you're pulling my leg. 8;)
-- Larry
Kent
> On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 19:10:32 -0700, "Kent" <kh6...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>We basically don't. When you go in there now it looks somewhat like an
>>igloo. I think the last
>>time we defrosted was several years ago. Even if you feel rigid about
>>this,
>>defrosting isn't required very often.
>
> I would think that eventually you'd lose significant capacity from the ice
> build-up.
>
>> At this moment it's an upcoming weekend project. It's not that hard to
>> do.
>
> But what do you do with your frozen food while you're defrosting? Or do
> you have
> to plan a month ahead and eat up everything first?
Defrosting isn't a big deal. You can rinse the chest freezer and drain it
long before anything has defrosted. It's nice have either a garage or a
basement to do this in.
>
> You mean heat *rises*? Go on -- you're pulling my leg. 8;)
>
>
Heat does rise. Hot air rises to the ceiling. Cold air descends. Hot air is
less dense than cold air.
Kent
Dee Dee
"Kent" <kh6...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:W4CdnSGUU4T0ryDb...@comcast.com...
?
>
> Defrosting isn't a big deal. You can rinse the chest freezer and drain it
> long before anything has defrosted. It's nice have either a garage or a
> basement to do this in.
Oh, I was under the impression that you -- or was it someone else -- were
looking for an auto defrost.
I think when I defrost mine, I will have most everything used up, and make
sure my other freezer will be clear enough to handle what was in the chest
freezer. I don't know what the cf is of my other freezer is, but it's a
sub-zero, large enough.
Right now, I'm trying to get most of the meat out of the chest freezer, so I
can start afresh, not because it needs defrosting, but food in a chest
freezer can certainly get lost.
Dee Dee
pltrgyst
>> You mean heat *rises*? Go on -- you're pulling my leg. 8;)
>>
>Heat does rise. Hot air rises to the ceiling. Cold air descends. Hot air is
>less dense than cold air.
You've been reading Wikipedia again, haven't you?
So how come it's been 100+ degrees here in Washington this week? How come all
that hot air hasn't risen (I know it's colder at high altitude), and been
replaced by cooler air from the artic? Or from over the oceans? Or from Dee's
freezer?
-- Larry (I just knew that damned physics prof at Rutgers was lying to us...)
Kent
> On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:52:08 -0700, "Kent" <kh6...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>> You mean heat *rises*? Go on -- you're pulling my leg. 8;)
>>>
>>Heat does rise. Hot air rises to the ceiling. Cold air descends. Hot air
>>is
>>less dense than cold air.
>
> You've been reading Wikipedia again, haven't you?
>
> So how come it's been 100+ degrees here in Washington this week? How come
> all
> that hot air hasn't risen (I know it's colder at high altitude), and been
> replaced by cooler air from the artic? Or from over the oceans? Or from
> Dee's
> freezer?
>
>
constant humidity in the room, hot air is less dense, and has a lower
specific gravity than cold air. Because of its lower specific gravity the
hot air rises. That's true wherever you are.
Kent
Kent
"Dee Dee" <deed...@shentel.net> wrote in message
news:f9jcdp$rh3$1...@registered.motzarella.org...
>
> "Kent" <kh6...@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:W4CdnSGUU4T0ryDb...@comcast.com...
> ?
>>
>> Defrosting isn't a big deal. You can rinse the chest freezer and drain it
>> long before anything has defrosted. It's nice have either a garage or a
>> basement to do this in.
>
> Oh, I was under the impression that you -- or was it someone else -- were
> looking for an auto defrost.
>
> I think when I defrost mine, I will have most everything used up, and make
> sure my other freezer will be clear enough to handle what was in the chest
> freezer. I don't know what the cf is of my other freezer is, but it's a
> sub-zero, large enough.
>
Dee Dee
>> I think when I defrost mine, I will have most everything used up, and
>> make sure my other freezer will be clear enough to handle what was in the
>> chest freezer. I don't know what the cf is of my other freezer is, but
>> it's a sub-zero, large enough.
>>
> Dee, does sub-zero make a chest freezer?? I hadn't heard of that.
>
>
When I defrost my chest freezer, I hope to have most everything used up. I
will make sure my Sub-zero refrigerator (which has a freezer on the left
side) is cleared out enough to handle the frozen stuff that was in the chest
freezer.
Here is the Sub-zero I have - the freezer is on the left side. (I don't know
the cf of the Sub-zero freezer.) But mine is wooden panels on the front,
but this pic shows you better what I'm describing. Right now, the freezer
is full of all else except meat.
http://www.subzero.com/products/detail.aspx?cid=2&productid=25
Dee Dee
pltrgyst
>
>"Kent" <kh6...@comcast.net> wrote in message
>news:y82dneo9nP1goSDb...@comcast.com...
>> Dee, does sub-zero make a chest freezer?? I hadn't heard of that.
>>
>I didn't make myself clear enough....
Yes you did, Dee.
-- Larry
pltrgyst
No, Kent, you really need a new humor detector.
-- Larry (only three graduate degrees, all in hard science, and forty years of
employment in same...)
Kent
>school so we can review this look at:
>http://www.abc.net.au/science/surfingscientist/pdf/teachdemo_8.pdf
Kent
KW
> should one just shop for price alone?
>
I have a cheap one from Sears that I bought about 7 years ago. It's a
Kenmore, 5 cubic feet. I had an extended power outage a couple of years
after I bought it (6 days) and I was surprised and pleased to find that
everything was still firmly frozen even after 6 days with no power. (My
over-the-fridge freezer didn't last 3 days). Get one that's a little
bigger than you think you will need - the prices have really dropped and
there's a big difference between 5 and 7 cubic feet. The more expensive
models sometimes have nicer features - for example, mine doesn't have
any kind of temperture controls - it's either off or on. But there's no
reason to spend a lot of money for a small freezer.
I would suggest getting a non-defrosting model. I can tell the
difference between my regular freezer (self-defrosting) and my free
standing freezer (not self defrosting) when it comes to long term
storage of meats. A self defrosting freezer goes through cycles of
warming and thawing, and it affects food quality, even if the meat is
wrapped well. This is especially true for more expensive items like
steaks.
It is not difficult to defrost a small freezer, it only takes a short
time (I can defrost mine in an hour or two using a hair dryer to speed
things along) and I only do it once or twice a year. At one time, I
even kept my freezer (by necessity) in the living room on wall-to-wall
carpet, and I never had a problem with defrosting - I just used a couple
of bath towels on the floor of the freezer to catch the water.
As far as chest vs. upright, I would get whichever one suits you best.
Chest freezers are slightly more efficient, but as long as you're not
opening it several times a day, I don't think this is a big issue. You
only lose efficiency when the freezer is opened. I use my freezer for
extra storage, which means I only open it up when necessary, and I think
the small efficiency loss is made up by the convenience and space
considerations, at least for me. If I had kids running through opening
the freezer every half hour, or if I had a big garage with lots of extra
space, I might judge differently. I have an upright freezer because of
space - I live in a small apartment, and upright freezers take up less
floor space, plus you can put shelves above them so you don't "lose"
that space. In a small apartment, every inch counts. A chest freezer
takes up more space, both in terms of footprint and having to keep the
top free to open the door, although that might not be an issue if you're
not space-limited.
Karen
pltrgyst
>>>>>> You mean heat *rises*? Go on -- you're pulling my leg. 8;)
>>>>>>
>>>>>Heat does rise. Hot air rises to the ceiling. Cold air descends. Hot air
>>>>>is less dense than cold air.
>>>>
>>>> You've been reading Wikipedia again, haven't you?
>>>>
>>>> So how come it's been 100+ degrees here in Washington this week? How
>>>> come all that hot air hasn't risen (I know it's colder at high altitude), and
>>>> been replaced by cooler air from the artic? Or from over the oceans? Or from
>>>> Dee's freezer?
>>>>
>>>Larry, you really need to repeat high school psysics and chemistry. With a
>>>constant humidity in the room, hot air is less dense, and has a lower
>>>specific gravity than cold air. Because of its lower specific gravity the
>>>hot air rises. That's true wherever you are.
>>
>> No, Kent, you really need a new humor detector.
>>
>> -- Larry (only three graduate degrees, all in hard science, and forty
>> years of employment in same...)
>>
>>You are obviously employed as an administrator. Again, to get back to high
>>school so we can review this look at:
>>http://www.abc.net.au/science/surfingscientist/pdf/teachdemo_8.pdf
Right. Let's put it to a vote of the group readership: do I need a
technical education, or does Kent need a sense of humor? Or is he the
USEnet troll of all time?
So bye-bye, Kent. You're too obtuse to play with. {plonk}
-- Larry (Hint: career employers -- David Sarnoff Research Center;
Bell Labs/ Western Electric Engrg. Research Center; MITRE Corp.; US
Patent Office)
Kent
My apology to all,
Kent
Kent
"pltrgyst" <use...@xhost.org> wrote in message
news:vnfsb3dv0t8p2lus6...@4ax.com...
were they earned?
Kent
Randall Nortman
[...]
> An important thing about chest freezers is that cold air is heavier
> than warm air. Therefore when you open a freezer from the top,
> everything works better because the frozen air stays down. There is
> much less loss of cold from the outside, compared to the usual
> upright freezer. I'd bet 10X as much.
This is true, but two points: First, the heat capacity (by volume) of
air is miniscule compared to the heat capacity of the solids and
liquids in your freezer. Humid air has a greater heat capacity than
dry air, but still not that much. So when you lose that "frozen" air
by opening the door, the warmer air that replaces it will very quickly
be cooled down without much effort from the compressor. I'm not
saying that it's not inefficient to be letting all that cold, dry air
exchange for warm, moist air, but it's not quite as bad as you might
think.
But, if you want to reduce the impact of losing that cold air when you
open the door, pack your freezer (and refrigerator) as full as you
can, leaving little room for free air in the first place. Then you
won't have much warm, moist air entering when you open the door. You
can even use empty containers, inflated freezer bags, etc. to take up
space. But it's even better if you put stuff in there that has a high
heat capacity (i.e., things with a high water content), because that
will help the freezer recover its temperature faster and with less of
a temperature drop in the things you have stored in it. A bag of
plain old ice would be a good choice, or those reusable cold packs
designed for use in portable coolers.
--
Randall
Dee Dee
"Randall Nortman" <usene...@wonderclown.com> wrote in message
news:13bv1f2...@corp.supernews.com...
This is an excellent idea, ..... the only problem I see is that to be able
to get to your particular package that you want to get out, it takes too
much time to set aside all this extra stuff and digging thru.
Dee Dee
Kent
Kent
m...@privacy.net
>> What size is yours?
>>
>> How many cu feet?
>
>I looked up my notes which say:
>
>
>$179.99
>
>7 cubic feet
>
>35 x 31 x 24.4
Ok thanks
I'm actually thinking 7 cu feet may be too big for me
as I live alone
Looking at 5 cu feet.
How many people in your house may I ask?
m...@privacy.net
>This is true, but two points: First, the heat capacity (by volume) of
>air is miniscule compared to the heat capacity of the solids and
>liquids in your freezer. Humid air has a greater heat capacity than
>dry air, but still not that much. So when you lose that "frozen" air
>by opening the door, the warmer air that replaces it will very quickly
>be cooled down without much effort from the compressor. I'm not
>saying that it's not inefficient to be letting all that cold, dry air
>exchange for warm, moist air, but it's not quite as bad as you might
>think.
Is it inconsequential enough that you would by an
upright freezer OVER a chest type and NOT worry abt
lost efficiency?
m...@privacy.net
> Get one that's a little
>bigger than you think you will need - the prices have really dropped and
>there's a big difference between 5 and 7 cubic feet.
yep this is what's holding me up....cant decide between
a 7 cu foot or 5 cu foot model
I live alone
Randall Nortman
It is a trade-off between efficiency and convenience. For a freezer
meant mostly for long-term storage, chest type is clearly the way to
go, because you need to get in there infrequently enough that the
inconvenience is not a big deal. But for everyday use, it might get
quite annoying, and I don't think I'd go for it. But if you're living
off the grid on solar power, your efficiency vs. convenience equation
balances differently, and it might make sense for you.
Moving from freezers to refrigerators, I have seen upright
refrigerators that are divided into a number of enclosed compartments.
The air inside those compartments stays in those compartments even
when you open the door. Only the compartment you actually need to get
into loses its air. This seems like a good compromise to me, though
I've never used one. Vestfrost is one such manufacturer; there might
be others.
--
Randall
KW
> a 7 cu foot or 5 cu foot model
I also live alone, so I don't think a 7 cubic foot model is too big. I
have a 5 cubic foot model, and mine is usually full.
It really depends on how much you cook, what type of things you cook,
and how you like to shop. I work long hours during the week and often
get home late, so I like to cook big meals on the weekends and then
freeze the leftovers. I usually have 15-20 homemade frozen meals (in
single serving portions) in my freezer at any one time. I'll also cook
extras when possible - for example, if I roast a chicken, I'll roast two
at once, and freeze the extra meat to use in casseroles and other
dishes.
I also make my own homemade chicken stock, vegetable stock, etc. which I
keep in the freezer. And I like to buy meat and other freezable foods
when they're on sale and freeze them - I usually have an assortment of
chicken breasts, shrimp, steaks, and other meats in my freezer, all
bought when they were on sale. I also buy items like butter and cheese
when they're on sale and freeze them until needed - cheese gets crumbly
after freezing but it's fine for using in cooked dishes.
Another factor for me is that I have a fairly small freezer section in
my refrigerator - I live in an apartment and have a fairly small
refrigerator (it's a "full" size but it's small compared to many of the
super-huge fridges that people buy now). So I don't have a lot of room
to store food in my above-the-fridge freezer.
Once you have more freezer space, you may find yourself cooking and
shopping differently, and the freezer that once seemed spacious may
start to seem small. I didn't start cooking in advance and stocking up
during sales until I bought my freezer - but once I had it, I found all
kinds of ways to use it.
I haven't looked at freezers that closely, but the last time I was
browsing at Sears, I noticed that there wasn't a lot of difference
between the 5 and 7 cubic foot freezers, in terms of price or footprint
or energy consumption. I would spend a little more and get the bigger
one, because I think you'll use it more than you think you will. And
they last a long time - I've had mine for almost ten years and it still
works perfectly. (I almost wish it would break so I could upgrade to a
bigger one.)
Karen
m...@privacy.net
>I haven't looked at freezers that closely, but the last time I was
>browsing at Sears, I noticed that there wasn't a lot of difference
>between the 5 and 7 cubic foot freezers, in terms of price or footprint
>or energy consumption. I would spend a little more and get the bigger
>one, because I think you'll use it more than you think you will. And
>they last a long time - I've had mine for almost ten years and it still
>works perfectly. (I almost wish it would break so I could upgrade to a
>bigger one.)
Thanks Karen
You are in small boat as I am.... have very small
freezer section in my current fridge