Freezer Recommendation

[homewithmandy]

I have a VERY small freezer in my kitchen and since I’ve been cooking up a storm lately I really need some extra freezer space in the garage. I am considering a side by side fridge freezer (maybe used from craigslist) or I could find a chest freezer. I am guessing that I would need around 7 cubic feet of freezer space and think I could fill it easily with homemade chicken stock, pans of lasagna, loaves of bread that I find on sale, etc.

Sears has a 7.5 chest freezer for only $200, BUT if I purchase something larger and spend at least $300 I can get 12 months no interest. My boyfriend would LOVE a garage beer fridge which is why I’m leaning towards a side by side fridge freezer so we both get what we want. But not sure a freezer of that size will satisfy my need for more freezer space.

My questions are… do those who have chest freezers regret them because it may be hard to dig down and find what you need or happy for all the freezer space? Do those who have stand up freezers recommend them?  I’m a family of only two who cooks a lot and would like to freeze leftovers. How do I know how big a freezer to get?

Any insight from fellow foodies would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!
Mandy
www.homewithmandy.com

[Forum Team]

I have a chest freezer in my garage and an extra fridge.  Love both of them!  I am able to use bins in my chest freezer to keep items separated.  It is also great for buy and storing bulk meat.

[Joy @ Joy Of Desserts]

I have a large-size upright freezer in the garage.  I LOVE it.  It is just like reaching in your home refrigerator, you never have to go digging down to pull out a heavy turkey, etc.  There are shelves, and bins which slide out like drawers.  I find an upright much easier to keep organized.  The chest freezers are similar to a giant-sized picnic cooler, so ask yourself how often when you are at the park you have to pull everything out because what you want is at the very bottom.  As far as size, it's not so much how many people are in the house, but how much food you want to store.  If you have extra room, your food won't be crammed and you will have good air circulation which is necessary for proper freezing and maintenance of your investment.  With extra room, you can also store some charcoal which will prevent odors.  With extra room, you can store a few large blocks of ice at all times which you will need to prevent food spoilage during power outages, and which you can use in your large coolers in the summer time.  With extra room, you can also store more food, which will help keep itself frozen longer during power outages (just like lots of big ice cubes last longer than just a couple small ones). 

This is what my mother-in-law did her entire life, recommended to me, and what I have done for as long as I have been married.  It works.