Perfect Freezing Every Time 13

There is a huge range of freezers to choose

from, including different shapes and sizes to
suit the needs of every household. Consider
the number of people in your home, whether
youll be freezing large quantities of fresh
produce or meat (if you plan to buy fresh
food in bulk and freeze for later in the week
or month), how much oor space you have
available, what energy efciency and de-
frosting features you prefer, and whether
you are willing to pay for extra bells and
whistles on high-end models.
There are four types of freezers on the
market:
1. Refrigerator-Freezer
Combination
This is a single appliance with one or two
doors. It has one compartment for frozen
foods and another for refrigerated foods. The
freezing compartments may be above, below,
or to one side of the refrigerated area. If select-
ing this type, be certain that the freezer is a true
freezer (able to maintain 0F/-18C or less) and
not just an icebox. Some refrigerators feature a
small icebox that opens within the refrigera-
tor itself. It is important to note that this is
sufcient only for making ice cubes or storing
ice cream and maybe a bag of frozen peasit
cannot be considered a true freezer.
Models that feature the freezer on top are
usually the most inexpensive fridge/freezer
combinations to purchase and are more space
efcient than comparably sized side-by-side
models. Widths can range from 30 to 33
inches, and there are often two levelsif not,
it is well worth adding a rack stand of your own.
how to choose
the ri ght freezer
These freezers are conveniently at eye level
and are therefore easy to access; the shal-
low depth allows you to see to the back. An-
other advantage to this style of freezer is
that a high proportion of its actual size,
usually around 80 percent, is useable
freezer capacity.
Models that feature the freezer below are
often from the designer range of fridge/
freezer brands. They open either with a
pull-out drawer-style door or a conventional
door and feature another drawer inside to
give two levels of storage. The widths typi-
cally range from 30 to 36 inches but the pro-
portion that is actual freezer space is
lessened due to the way the pull-out drawers
work, though this is still typically more
space than is offered by the side-by-side
type of freezer.
Side-by-side models feature freezer and
fridge right next to each other, with the
freezer typically half the width of the fridge.
The combined width is typically 32 to 48
inches. These freezers are deep relative to
their width, which can make accommodat-
ing large, wide objects, such as turkeys, dif-
cult. It can sometimes be hard to nd food
hidden at the back, too. But there is often
plenty of storage on the freezer door, and
most models of this type come equipped
with a through-the-door water dispenser.
These side-by-side models typically offer
the least usable freezer space in relation to
their size when compared to the two other
fridge/freezer models.
2. Upright Freezers
These appliances have the same general shape
and appearance as home refrigerators. They
have one or two outside doors and from three
to seven shelves or pull-out bins for storing
food. Freezers of this type are popular due to
their convenience, the small oor space they
require, and the ease with which food may be
put in or removed. However, large amounts of
cold air escape each time the door is opened,
which can diminish their efciency.
3. Chest Freezers
Chest freezers are wide, deep freezers that
open from the top with a hinged lid. Often,
theyre kept in a garage or a room separate
from the kitchen, as they require a great
deal of oor space. These types of freezers
can be very useful if you have a large house-
hold, live a long way from where you buy
your food, or have a large garden that yields
lots of produce for home freezing. They are
the most efcient in terms of capacity and
are also best at keeping food frozen on a
long-term basis. Theyre also relatively in-
expensive to purchase, but their biggest
drawback is the fact that its difcult to keep
Perfect Freezing Every Time 15
16 Can I Freeze It?
track of what you have in there because of the
way that the food is piled up on top of itself.
They normally come with two interior baskets,
but these generally arent sufcient to create
an organized space. Using plastic crates is a
good way of separating foods within the
freezer and keeping track of whats at the
bottommake sure you purchase crates that
wont be brittle at low temperatures, and select
thick, industrial-looking crates rather than
thin-walled store-cupboard-style crates.
4. Integrated Freezers
These are the absolute latest in freezer de-
sign. The freezer is integrated into the
kitchen cabinets, most often just below the
counter, in the form of a drawer or a series
of drawerswhatever you might want. Each
drawer has a depth of 24 inches and a height
of 19
1
2 inches. You can have a built-in ice-
maker as well. With these, you can pull out
the whole drawerno secrets in the back or
bottom of the freezer. They also come com-
bined with a refrigerator drawer above the
freezer drawer.
What Does Frost Free Mean?
The latest important innovation in refrigera-
tion is frost free technology, which saves hours
of chipping away at thick layers of ice when the
door wont close anymore! In a frost-free
freezer, every six hours or so a timer turns on a
heating device, which is wrapped among the
freezer coils. The heater melts the ice off the
coils. When all the ice is gone, a temperature
sensor senses the temperature rising above
32F/0C and turns off the heater. This is why
frost-free freezers have glass shelves and bas-
kets and no signs of metal bars or electrical el-
ements. Upright freezers and fridge/freezers
are available as manual-defrost or frost-free
models, whereas chest freezers are only avail-
able as manual-defrost.
As beautiful, clean, and convenient as
frost-free freezers are, it is important to
know that heating the coils every six hours
takes energy and cycles the food in the
freezer through temperature changes. For
this reason, manual-defrost freezers keep
food safe longer and are more energy ef-
cient, provided they are kept ice free by reg-
ular manual defrosting.
Where to Put Your Freezer
Whatever type of freezer you select, it should
be placed in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated
place; never by a stove or a water heater or in
the sun, as this makes it more difcult to
maintain a temperature of 0F/18C or
lower. Do not push the freezer ush against a
wall, as it needs about 2 inches of space for
air circulation. And be sure the freezer sits
level; if left unleveled for a long period of
time, the body of the freezer can become so
deformed that the door will not close prop-
erly. Also, if the freezer does not sit straight,
it may cause leakage and the motor may
sound louder than usual.