By Allison T.S. Robicelli
Taste of Home's Editorial Process 4 Door Commercial Refrigeratoe
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If you like cooking make-ahead meals to save time on busy weeknights, purchasing meat and other groceries in bulk, or satisfying your insatiable ice cream cravings, then a chest freezer is just about the best investment you can make. But, like with any major appliance purchase, there are things to consider to ensure you get the best chest freezer for your particular needs.
While storing frozen food in a chest freezer is easy, keeping it organized is harder. Chest freezers work best with ready-made foods that come in boxes, cooked dishes that are stored in stackable containers and food that’s been flat-packed in freezer bags or vacuum sealed.
Chest freezers come in all different sizes, meaning that even if you’re short on space, you can more than likely find one that will work in your home. If space isn’t an issue, consider putting a large chest freezer in your basement or garage. Though the upfront cost will be more than a compact model, in the long run, a high-capacity chest freezer will save you money by reducing food waste, and allowing you to buy costly groceries (like meat) in bulk.
The Frigidaire 14.8-cubic-foot chest freezer has just about everything you can possibly want in a chest freezer. It provides an ample amount of storage space while measuring less than five feet wide, and features optional casters that make it easy to move around. Its SpaceWise sliding baskets help keep everything accessible—easily reach items packed on the bottom while keeping more frequently-used items up top. Bright LED lighting makes it easy to see what you have in stock, so you don’t need to fish around for that family pack of frozen pork chops in the dark.
Most importantly, the Frigidaire 14.8-cubic-foot chest freezer gets, and stays, cold. It has a temperature range of -10 to 10 degrees, which you can easily adjust using exterior controls. A water drain feature at the bottom makes manually defrosting this chest freezer a cinch. If you have young children in the house, you’ll be happy to know this model features a safety lock and pop-out key for easy childproofing.
Psst! While you’re at it, check out our recommendations for the best upright freezers, too.
If you’re looking for a good amount of freezer space for not a lot of money, you can’t do much better than this 5-cubic-foot model from Midea. Special cooling technology allows its walls to be thinner than previous generations of chest freezer, optimizing the amount of room inside while maintaining a slim profile. Barely over two feet wide, this is one of the best chest freezers for small spaces.
To maximize storage space while keeping things organized, this chest freezer includes a removable wire storage basket that’s great for holding bags of frozen vegetables, pints of ice cream and other frozen foods you need easy access to. A built-in hinge door keeps the freezer open at 45 and 75 degree angles, meaning that if you need to go fishing for something at the bottom, you won’t need to worry about the door slamming shut on you. By the way, here’s how long frozen food lasts.
If money is no object, why not invest in a chest freezer that’s professional grade? This KoolMore chest freezer is designed for selling ice cream…in your home. It’s a powerhouse that has the sorts of bells and whistles you wish more residential appliances had. Instead of a hinge top, this freezer has two see-through glass doors that slide open. Couple that with a bright LED light, and you’ll always be able to see what you have on hand without worrying about cold air escaping.
To help keep things visible and organized, this freezer comes with two rust-resistant sliding baskets that not only maximize storage space, but also keep different types of food grouped together. This large, sturdy unit comes on rolling caster wheels, which makes it easy to move when you need to clean the floors. A small drain located on the bottom makes it easy to drain out excess water when defrosting.
This compact chest freezer measures barely over 21-inches wide, making it one of the best chest freezers for small kitchens. Two hanging wire baskets help maximize every square inch of storage space, and a hinged lid will keep the top open when you need to move them aside to grab things that are stored down at the very bottom.
Proving that mighty things can come in small packages, this Northair chest freezer can keep things colder than cold; using the adjustable thermostat located on the outside, set this chest freezer’s temperature from anywhere between -14 to -40 degrees.
Have a huge family? Maybe you’re a hunter or gardener with an extra-large bounty to store? The Frigidaire 24.8-cubic-foot chest freezer is everything we love about our pick for overall best chest freezer, but a lot more of it. SpaceWise sliding baskets: check. Easy-to-move casters: check. Bright LED lighting: check.
If you live in an area with frequent power outages, a power-on indicator light will let you know when your freezer is running just as it should, and when you need to keep the lid shut until the power comes back on. An alarm will warn you if the freezer temperature is rising, so you can always be sure your deep-frozen foods are staying in tip-top condition. Next, invest in these products that make freezing food easier.
This chest freezer is made for living in your garage, and has been to tested to ensure top-notch performance in all sorts of climates. Whether you live in the icy North or the scorching Southwest, you can be sure that this chest freezer is keeping things cold. It also comes with GE’s Power Outage Promise, which guarantees that in the event of a power outage, the interior temperature will stay below freezing for at least 48 hours. A temperature alarm will tip you off if things start to get too warm, and an external power light lets you know that your chest freezer is operating just as you expect it to. Psst! Do you know this trick for determining if your freezer lost power?
Keeping your chest freezer organized is easy thanks to two levels of rails that allow you to position its four sliding storage baskets at different heights. To keep your frozen foods safe, this chest freezer has a lock and key system that will prevent young children or wild animals from getting inside.
When it comes to selecting the perfect chest freezer for your kitchen, there are a few key ingredients to keep in mind. First off, consider the size that fits your family’s needs and your available space. Opting for an energy-efficient model with the coveted Energy Star label can help you save on utility bills in the long run. Look for user-friendly features like adjustable shelves, handy baskets and easy-to-control temperature settings. Decide whether you prefer the traditional manual defrosting method or the hassle-free frost-free option. Don’t forget to take into account where you’ll be placing your freezer and how easily accessible it needs to be. And of course, always compare prices to find the best deal without compromising on quality.
I have over 20 years of experience in the culinary field, beginning with cooking in restaurant and catering kitchens in my hometown of New York City. I have since owned a well-known bakery in Brooklyn, written multiple cookbooks, and have been nominated for a James Beard award for food writing.
Before I started looking for the best chest freezer, I thought about all the different reasons people might need one, like keeping lots of food fresh or storing fruits and veggies from the garden. Then, I checked out what the top freezer brands had to offer, using both their options and what I know from testing products. I looked at things like how much stuff each freezer could hold, how much energy it used and how easy it was to use. And I didn’t forget to listen to what real people had to say about their experiences with the freezers, too.
Chest freezers open from the top, meaning the ones that provide the maximum amount of storage have a larger footprint than the average household refrigerator or upright freezer. What they lack in compactness, they make up for in energy efficiency. As you may recall from elementary school science class, hot air rises, and cold air sinks. That means when you open the top of a chest freezer, most of the cold air stays inside instead of escaping. When the freezer is packed with frozen foods, frigid air stays trapped towards the bottom of the unit, keeping the temp below freezing without needing to pull extra energy.
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