There are many advantages to having a freezer. When stores have sales you can buy in bulk and extend your grocery savings over several months. From this basic stock, you could also choose to do marathon cooking and fill your freezer. This saves you time in the months ahead, which is especially nice when you just don’t feel like standing over the stove. A third advantage comes from the element of surprise. You will always have extra when family or friends stop over unexpectedly. With all that in mind, how do you choose a good freezer?

Cost Factors

This isn’t going to be a minor purchase. While you can get good comparative prices on basic freezers, there are a lot of other things to consider, including energy use, internal space, the product’s warranty, and special features such as a quick-freeze cycle. Don’t rush your choice. Most freezers will last ten to twelve years, so think about your future needs as well as your present ones.

Location and Space

Consider your space constraints. Where are you going to put the freezer? Does that space have a suitable electrical outlet? Many new appliances require a 220 line for them to run effectively. Placing the freezer in a cooler area of your home will help keep the cost of operating your freezer down. Once you’ve found a spot, measure it. That measurement will tell you pretty quickly if you can get an upright or chest cooler. Bear in mind that an upright freezer usually has far more features.

Upright or Chest Freezer

An upright is very easy to access, especially if someone in your family has back problems. When you open the door, a fast visual survey will tell you what’s inside. Uprights also typically offer conveniences like auto defrost and ice makers. Chest freezers, by comparison, hold a little more. They allow you to store oddly shaped items inside, and the internal temperature varies less than an upright. On the down side, you may forget what’s at the bottom, and you’ll have to manually defrost these foods. While you’re looking at features, see if there’s a defrosting hose. This makes cleaning and upkeep much easier.

How Big?

By now you’re probably starting to narrow your choices; don’t forget to consider the size of the machines. You know the space you’ve got, but that doesn’t mean you have to buy a freezer that will fill that entire space. Most people get a larger freezer than they need, and unfortunately, that means a loss of energy. Consider how much food you would freeze and use in a six-to eight-week period, then buy a freezer based on that volume. Alternatively, figure 1.5 cubic feet per person in the house, then allow extra space beyond that for the volume of your preserving efforts.

Energy Savings

Besides the size, check out the bright yellow Energy Guide tag. The lower the number on that tag, the better. This is like looking at the miles per gallon a car gets. You want to save money with your freezer, not spend it all on electricity. Note that frost-free freezers use more energy than regular ones, and upright freezers are less energy efficient than chest coolers.