Chest freezers are a worthy addition to any kitchen, saving you invaluable space and keeping all your frozen goods in one handy space.They’re especially great when you’ve got a bigger family and need somewhere away from the kitchen to stash away the weekly shop.
So buying one is – more often than not – something you won’t regret. But with so many excellent options on the market, how can you be sure the chest freezer you choose is the best one for your home?
To help you make the decision, we’ve put together this useful guide to what to look out for when buying a chest freezer. Read on to find out more:
Size
Obviously one of the main reasons you’ll want a chest freezer is so you can have extra space, both in the kitchen and in the freezer itself.
Naturally a bigger freezer takes up more energy and space, but if you go too small, you might end up with overflow that will go to waste. You’ll also want to take extra care to make sure your chest freezer fits wherever you need it.
It’s a good idea to take a look at your current freezer, work out how many frozen goods you get in your weekly shop and then use that to gauge just how much extra space you’ll need.
Energy rating
Given that your chest freezer will be on most of the time, if not all the time, it’ll take up a fair bit of energy to run. And with that in mind, you’ll want to make sure your chest freezer has an energy rating that fits your budget.
Take note of the energy rating the manufacturer provides on their product page. These are general scales that apply to all electrical appliances where A is the best and G is the worst – chest freezers will generally land somewhere around the F rating.
If you want to go deeper into the detail, check out the annual electricity usage in kilowatts per hour. One kilowatt per hour translates to one unit – so work out how much you pay per unit, and use that to see how much your freezer will cost each year.
Lids
Want to keep your frozen food safe from prying hands? Looking to make sure the kids don’t have a free run of all the icy goodies? Get a freezer with a reliable locking mechanism built into the lid. That way, you get to stay in charge of what comes in and what goes out.
And if you can, a counterbalanced lid will make your life much easier when loading and unloading the chest freezer – last thing you want is the lid coming tumbling down on you while you’re leaning in.
It goes without saying too, make sure the hinges are on the right side for wherever you put the freezer.
Fast freeze
Many modern chest freezers will have a fast freeze function. This neat feature will rapidly lower the temperature of the freezer, making freezing food much quicker.
This is especially good when you’ve got a lot of fresh food you’ve just bought from, say, a farmers’ market. You’ll want to get it frozen as quickly as you can to ensure it maintains that freshness that you bought it for.
As such, if you’re someone who regularly goes in for fresh and organic ingredients, a fast freeze function might be just what you’re looking for in your chest freezer.
Got a better idea of what you want? Our Artico range is available right now for you to discover the right chest freezer for you. Here’s one to get you started.
