Freezers

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  • Rich1911

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 8, 2012
    3,839
    For two people go with an upright. The chest type are usually bigger but you end up using just the top layer and everything else sits for years because its very difficult to organize them. The upright ones are a lot easier to organize and rotate food.

    +1
     

    Scrounger

    Active Member
    Jul 16, 2018
    357
    Southern Maryland
    Not to hijack the thread. I have two large Cospolich chest freezers that I would like to find a home for. They are too large to take downstairs unless the stairs are double wide. If memory serves me, they are 25 cubic foot units. I played with one of them some time ago and it was low on refrigerant. The other is still sitting in a trailer. These are large commercial freezers that can be set for refrigeration or freeze. If anyone is interested, I will make them a good deal, they are too big for one person.
     

    ohen cepel

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 2, 2011
    4,509
    Where they send me.
    If you get a chest one and don't think you'll fill it up soon put an upside down plastic tote in the bottom of it. That way, you fill the space so it costs less to run but also you're not having to dig to the bottom for things all the time. Then, remove the tote when you are getting it near full.
     

    spoon059

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 1, 2018
    5,332
    Check the factory stores. Our second fridge went out in January and we lost our regular "buffer" of food. When we got back from vacation in March we went to the Bray and Scarf outlet store in Laurel and they had tons of supplies, including dedicated freezers. I'm sure big box stores are sold out, but consider the outlet stores too. I know Bray and Scarf have several. We've used Apache Appliance in Aspen Hill before too. Smaller stores are more likely to have stock.
     

    MocoJed

    Active Member
    Nov 16, 2015
    474
    Loco Moco
    I have a whole duck in my deep freezer that probably has been in there for 8 years, or maybe 10-12 years... I forget. My wife doesn't like duck so I've always put off thawing it and eating it.

    I bet it still is good though. Was bought frozen and never has seen the light of day; in the bottom of our deep freezer.

    I need to do something with it pretty damned soon.

    I thawed and am eating a turkey that had been in the deep freeze at least 8 years. Tastes fine. 5 year steaks last week, fine. 6 year old pumpkin puree, fine.

    I like the chest style because in theory it stays colder longer in a power outage. I defrost it once a year when it is below freezing outside. I just load everything into a few big coolers, defrost, then load it back up.

    Another tip to reduce open space is to fill milk and juice jugs up about 80% with water and freeze. They not only fill space, but make good ice packs, and will keep it colder longer in a power outage.
     

    newmuzzleloader

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Apr 14, 2009
    4,764
    joppa
    I have been thinking about getting a 20 cubic footer to add to our existing 8 cubic footer( it’s 30 years old do it may be replacing it) and I am thinking about buying a beef and a hog. My problem is that’s over two years of meat for the wife and I and I don’t want it to go bad but I like having a lot of food on hand.

    I am wondering what others think about this as well

    Is that too much meat and too long to keep it, even if vaccine sealed??

    I'm pulling out chickens I butchered in '17 and vacuum sealed. They are just as good as the day they went in the freezer. As long as the vacuum holds, the meat stays good has been my experience.
     

    Fester60

    Active Member
    Feb 1, 2010
    782
    PA
    My wife wants a chest freezer but she has a habit of freezing things and completely forgetting about their existence. Then I find it buried years later and end up throwing it away.

    What is everybody's plan if there is ever a prolonged power outage? I know most people have generators, but even fuel for them might run out eventually. I kind of feel if things ever got real bad I would survive off canned stuff. Obviously the quality of food would suffer, but if the world is ending calories are calories.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    If you get a chest one and don't think you'll fill it up soon put an upside down plastic tote in the bottom of it. That way, you fill the space so it costs less to run but also you're not having to dig to the bottom for things all the time. Then, remove the tote when you are getting it near full.


    While that means you don't have bend so far into to get to things, it does NOT make it run like it is full. There is still a lot of air space. You just move it to the bottom, instead of the top.

    And you have the same amount of digging, because you have the same amount of food.

    It is half full, you still have to dig half the height.
     

    Grampa G

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 11, 2010
    2,449
    Washington Co.
    If you get a chest one and don't think you'll fill it up soon put an upside down plastic tote in the bottom of it. That way, you fill the space so it costs less to run but also you're not having to dig to the bottom for things all the time. Then, remove the tote when you are getting it near full.

    Another option is use 2-liter bottles of water, it gives you an extra supply of drinking water and if the power goes out will help hold the temperature.
     

    namrelio

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 14, 2013
    4,372
    Frederick Co. Virginia
    I had a chest freezer when the kids were home. A lot of deer and bought beef. Now with just the two of us we bought an upright. It is easier to organize.

    If the electric goes out for an extended period, don't open it. Stuff will keep a long time if not opened. Its a good idea to keep a container of ice cubes in the freezer. When the electric comes back on and the freezer stops running, the ice cubes will give you an idea of weather stuff thawed out and refroze.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,673
    Another option is use 2-liter bottles of water, it gives you an extra supply of drinking water and if the power goes out will help hold the temperature.

    Yeah when my chest freezer is a bit less full I keep 2-4 gallons of frozen water in there. Keeps the temperature more stable and a bunch more thermal mass if the power fails. Right now I’ve got 50lbs of venison, a bunch of hops and 7 chickens in it. And a few pounds of morels. So no room for the frozen jugs.
     

    6-Pack

    NRA Life Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 17, 2013
    5,646
    Carroll Co.
    I have a standup freezer and a 5 cu. ft. chest freezer. I’d recommend a standup freezer because it’s much easier to organize your food. The chest freezer is something I got to lager beer, but I turned my temperature controller to make it a freezer again.

    A 5 cu. ft. chest freezer isn’t that big - I’d get at least a 7 cu. ft. if I were going to do it over.

    We fit 1/2 cow and 1/2 pig in our upright freezer without a problem. This year we’re bumping up to a whole cow and a whole pig, so we’ll definitely need the chest freezer. We get our meat once a year, and eat it over the course of the next year. Just the other day for lunch I had some 4 year old boneless chicken wings (Tyson I think) and they were fine.

    Also get a Foodsaver vacuum sealer. They are great for freezing things.
     

    Bullfrog

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 8, 2009
    15,152
    Carroll County
    While that means you don't have bend so far into to get to things, it does NOT make it run like it is full. There is still a lot of air space. You just move it to the bottom, instead of the top.

    And you have the same amount of digging, because you have the same amount of food.

    It is half full, you still have to dig half the height.

    It doesn't matter if its the same amount of air space, that isn't the main issue.

    The problem with air in the freezer isn't that its there.... the biggest problem is that when you open the door a good percentage of cold air is replaced by ambient air.

    If the power is on, the freezer will spend a bit of time and a small amount of $ taking that room temperature air back down to freezing.

    If the power is off, you've lost that much more time that it will stay cold inside.

    Trapping the air in the upside down bin will alleviate both problems. However, frozen water bottles would still be an improvement even over the trapped air.
     

    Alan3413

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 4, 2013
    16,921
    Get a freezer alarm to warn you when your freezer stops working.

    This one has two sensors so you can monitor two freezers (or both freezer and fridge). The sensors are wireless, so just toss them into the freezer along with the food. The range is about 100ft best case.

    It also has a customizable temperature alarm. If the temp goes too high or too low, it beeps for attention. Great for when the breaker trips in the middle of the night.

    https://smile.amazon.com/AMIR-Refrigerator-Thermometer-Wireless-Temperature/dp/B07B9N71VC/

    I set mine to alarm if it goes outside -5 to 5F. Gives me enough time to figure out what's wrong while the food still stays frozen.
     

    h2u

    Village Idiot
    Jul 8, 2007
    6,693
    South County
    I have a standup freezer and a 5 cu. ft. chest freezer. I’d recommend a standup freezer because it’s much easier to organize your food. The chest freezer is something I got to lager beer, but I turned my temperature controller to make it a freezer again.

    A 5 cu. ft. chest freezer isn’t that big - I’d get at least a 7 cu. ft. if I were going to do it over.

    We fit 1/2 cow and 1/2 pig in our upright freezer without a problem. This year we’re bumping up to a whole cow and a whole pig, so we’ll definitely need the chest freezer. We get our meat once a year, and eat it over the course of the next year. Just the other day for lunch I had some 4 year old boneless chicken wings (Tyson I think) and they were fine.

    Also get a Foodsaver vacuum sealer. They are great for freezing things.

    I’m much too simple for so much organization. To me, my chest freezer = meat!
    Reach in and grab something off the top. THAT’S what we’re having for dinner today. Easy...:D
     

    Blacksmith101

    Grumpy Old Man
    Jun 22, 2012
    22,154
    Get a freezer alarm to warn you when your freezer stops working.

    This one has two sensors so you can monitor two freezers (or both freezer and fridge). The sensors are wireless, so just toss them into the freezer along with the food. The range is about 100ft best case.

    It also has a customizable temperature alarm. If the temp goes too high or too low, it beeps for attention. Great for when the breaker trips in the middle of the night.

    https://smile.amazon.com/AMIR-Refrigerator-Thermometer-Wireless-Temperature/dp/B07B9N71VC/

    I set mine to alarm if it goes outside -5 to 5F. Gives me enough time to figure out what's wrong while the food still stays frozen.

    What he said because if you loose a freezer full of meat it really hurts.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    Run the generator to run the meat slicer and dehydrator 24/7 til I run out of gas I guess.

    You don't need the dehydrator.

    You can set up a smoker to cure the meat.

    In survival school, we made a smoke tent out of a poncho and some branches. Made some GREAT jerky.

    And no, no slicer, just used a knife.
     

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