Freezer recommendations

[MidwestSmoker]

Ever since I got my Traeger, my freezer space is getting all used up, both to store all the uncooked meats and the cooked ones. I just have a really small freezer. I think I need to get something new and I am looking for recommendations. Do you have a chest freezer or an upright? Full size or half size? Where do you keep it: garage, basement, patio, .....? Any brands to avoid?

One reason for this is because I buy most of my meats from Costco and they keep rotating different cuts. So I cannot be guaranteed of a particular cut unless I buy it in advance and store it. Last week they had some excellent looking pork belly which I wanted to make burnt ends, but couldn't get it as I had no freezer space left.

 

[Timmy]

I have a large chest freezer in the kitchen and 2 fridge freezers 1 in the kitchen and 1 in the garage. They are all full. I’d like to get a large upright as the chest freezer “loses” stuff, after it gets to full it’s a pain trying to get goods out of and keep it organized.

We purchased the chest freezer several years ago at Lowe’s, when they had a sale going on. We got the biggest one we could that was cheapest.

 

[traeger860]

I have a small chest freezer. When I lived in CT, I kept it in the basement. Now that I'm in FL, it's in the garage.

I did keep a regular size refrigerator/freezer in my garage in CT, but I couldn't use it in the winter when it got really cold. Everything in the freezer melted and everything in the fridge would freeze.

 

[RemE]

I have a small chest freezer in the garage, I do agree that if full, it can be a pain if what you want is in the bottom! But the size is right for my tight space.

 

[MidwestSmoker]

Yes, the garage is probably the only place for me. I do have the same concern as Traeger860 about how it will be in winter. I am planning to put it along the wall with the house. Hope it won't get too cold there.

Also, despite its disadvantages, the chest freezer may be the best for a garage. Thanks everyone for sharing your setups!

 

[Walleye Hunter]

I'd recommend a Kenmore but they're no longer an option so I can't help. Mine has dividers for the bottom and baskets that slide across the top. I still have to dig but if I can keep Mrs Walleye out of it, beef has its own bin, pork has its own, vegetables have their own, etc so digging isn't too much of a problem.

 

[Rex]

The chest freezer in my garage has seen some sh*t, I'm here to tell you.

Pre-Traeger: Ice cream, chicken nuggets, french fries, popsicles, etc.

Post-Traeger: Meat, meat, meat, beer mugs and 1 mason jar of real Kentucky moonshine.

I'm pretty sure my freezer thinks my family has been murdered by German hillbilly carnivores.

 

[YYCRed]

I've had an upright freezer in my (heated) garage for over 10 years with no problems. My friends have an upright as well, and they don't have a heated garage. No issues there, either. The upright definitely makes it easier to find things than my old chest freezer.

 

[RemE]

I've had an upright freezer in my (heated) garage for over 10 years with no problems. My friends have an upright as well, and they don't have a heated garage. No issues there, either. The upright definitely makes it easier to find things than my old chest freezer.

Ya, my neighbor has one, I opened the door, Angel's began singing and light beams radiated, SO Much Space! One day..... One day.

 

[Slimpicker]

Angel's began singing

Stairway to Heaven

 

[Spanky]

Yes, the garage is probably the only place for me. I do have the same concern as Traeger860 about how it will be in winter. I am planning to put it along the wall with the house. Hope it won't get too cold there.

Also, despite its disadvantages, the chest freezer may be the best for a garage. Thanks everyone for sharing your setups!

My vote is for Large Upright Frost Free Garage Capable Freezer. Parents always had a Chest freezer that was hard find things when full and hard to reach things at the bottom when not full. Make sure you get a Frost Free Freezer whatever style you et.

My son has this "Garage Ready" GE Upright Freezer. He keeps it in an unheated attached Garage in Midwest where Garage temperatures run 100F plus in summer when afternoon sun is on uninsulated steel 16X7 foot door and down to near 0F in winter. No problem keeping items frozen year round. He has the 21.3 Cubic foot model with clear shelves. They have a smaller 17.x Cubic foot as well and you can get wire shelves or clear plastic. The 21.3 cubic foot model is now $948 at HD and Lowes. I think he got his on Black Friday Special. I would recommend this one as easy to load/unload and has great LED lighting to see what is in it even when packed full.

I am happy to use his so do not need a large freezer myself. After Christmas when Meijers had discounted Turkeys, Hams I took advantage of it and filled it to the max. I believe we had around 6 20 pound turkeys/5 15 pound hams, 3 20 pound briskets plus his smaller packages of beef/pork/chicken/pork/boxed foods. He was complaining until I smoked the first turkey and ham for his Family. I reminded him he is free to use anything I have in it. He no longer complains about dad using his freezer space.

Garage Ready 21.3 cu. ft. Frost-Free Upright Freezer in White, ENERGY STAR​

Garage Ready​

Proven to perform in temperatures from 0°-110°F.

​

Find the Right Fit​

Chest and upright freezers come in a variety of sizes to fit your needs.

​

Temperature Alarm​

Visual and auditory alarms alert you if the temperature rises unexpectedly.

​

Highest Rated​

The highest rated upright freezers in the industry.*
With a door that locks to help keep children out, this 21.3 cu. ft. GE Chest Freezer offers optimal storage capacity for your frozen items. This Garage Ready freezer features clear slide-out freezer bins to help ensure that you have room to store and organize your favorite frozen foods. Its defrost water drain allows for easy defrosting.

• Garage ready - GE freezers are tested to perform from 0°F to 110°F
• Audible temperature alarm - Alerts you if the temperature rises
• Clear slide-out freezer bins - Enjoy more flexible storage and find items quickly with this clear slide-out bin
• Turbo Freeze - An extra boost of cold air restores interior to set temperature for optimum food freshness
• LED interior lighting - Automatically illuminates when door is open
• Lock with key - Allows you to protect your valuable food items from unintentional entry
• Exterior electronic temperature control - Easily adjust the temperature and avoid releasing cold air by opening the door
• Limted 1-year warranty entire appliance
• Frost free - Prevents frost build-up and means you never have to empty the contents to manually defrost
• Interior lighting - makes it easy to see what is inside
• High-gloss handle - provides a polished appearance that can cleaned with ease
• Energy Star

 

[arzoumanian]

I am going against the grain and say go with one that is not Frost Free... aka manual defrost... Here is why those cycles that defrost that ice, also defrost your food. That cycle lets ice crystals destry your food. I have a Commercial Chest Freezer, they are built to last a very very long time. The other consideration is energy usage... Manual defrost can use up to 40% less energy and as a result are queiter.

 

[DonJ]

I watched a program the other night that was identifying the disparity of cattle prices going down while the cost of processed meat is going up. The premise of the story was much of the meat processing in the US was controlled by just a few large processing plants, some of which are foreign owned. The program recommended purchasing beef from local processing facilities to help keep them in business. My local grocery store has their own processing, so that helps. I’m not sure where Costco gets their beef, but they seem to process on site. When I looked at the site they recommended (https://usabeef.org/), I found ranches fairly close by that would process beef orders for you. They ranged from whole beef orders to cuts as requested. There might be a premium paid, but my thought is that keeping sources local is a good idea. My preference for freezers has always been full sized upright freezers that are not frost free.

 

[MidwestSmoker]

Thanks everyone. Lots of options to consider. I wasn't even aware that GE made a line of garage ready freezers.

 

[overnightbbqryan]

I picked up a cheap chest freezer at Costco a few months ago for like $179. Does the job. No real complaints other than losing stuff at the bottom. I think it's probably 10cuft.