# Bought a chest freezer. Let's share stories. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 13, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645 "2012-10-13T20:29:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/41 "2012-10-15T20:07:28Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Given your location, I’d say that if you lose power in a winter storm, a cardboard box outside your back door should suffice as a freezer until the lights come on again. 🙂 Except for one thing. Raccoons. They _looove_ frozen pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/42 "2012-10-15T20:13:33Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > My stomach turns at the thought of pork-flavored banana popsicles. :eek: > > I’ve had my chest freezer for six years, and it’s still the best investment I ever made. The only drawback is defrosting it; because of where we live, we have to keep it indoors, but have to move it outdoors to defrost. **Major** PITA. The build-up of ice gets really bad in the summer (ironically) because of the bagged ice we buy on a daily basis. Kids get ice of the bag, some ice spills down, gets frozen together… Next time you defrost it, once it’s back in place put down some newspaper or something so you can just lift that out with all the dropped ice frozen to it… ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/43 "2012-10-15T20:25:27Z")
if you live in a cold winter climate, then winter is a good time to defrost. place your food in coolers outside. let the whole unit come to room temperature over a day or two is also good. some units, depending on how they are made and the environment they are in, might form ice in the insulation from water vapor in the air; that ice makes the unit less effective. put the ice cube bag in a small tote, it will catch spillage. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/44 "2012-10-15T20:33:09Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Except for one thing. > > Raccoons. > > They _looove_ frozen pizza. Hadn’t thought about that. Good point! ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/45 "2012-10-15T21:02:02Z")
We switched from a chest freezer (smallest one available, footprint roughly that of a small fridge) to an upright when we moved a few years back; I loved the chest freezer but wanted more space, and we didn’t have room for a larger chest freezer. Defrosting can be a bit of a pain because you have to move the stuff out and leave the thing open for a day or two. But it’s well worth it. We did ours maybe every 2-3 years. One thing you might try: keep a pad and clipboard by / on the freezer and note when you’ve added something, then cross it out when you remove something. It’s hard to keep up with that 100% but it can help remind you of what you’ve got in there, without the need to open it and rummage. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/46 "2012-10-15T23:32:49Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > One thing you might try: keep a pad and clipboard by / on the freezer and note when you’ve added something, then cross it out when you remove something. It’s hard to keep up with that 100% but it can help remind you of what you’ve got in there, without the need to open it and rummage. That’s such a good idea that it’s almost anal. I like it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/47 "2012-10-16T02:43:47Z")
Conversation while walking past the freezers at KMart/Sears: Wife: You could fit a deer in that one. Me: In this economy, it’s a wonder there are any deer left. Wife: Or woodchucks. Me: Haven’t seen one of them in years. FTR, you wouldn’t need a chest freezer for a properly dressed and parted out woodchuck, especially since you’ve opened up space in the refrigerator’s freezer. You can get stickers that stay stuck even when cold because they are made to use in a freezer. Mark what it is and when you put it in because everything in a freezer that is not in its original packaging looks the same, especially when it’s wrapped up enough to prevent freezer burn. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/48 "2012-10-16T03:14:37Z")
[These stickers](http://www.amazon.com/Erasable-Food-Labels-Refill-labels/dp/B003H5BV9Y/) are nice for permanently sticking to food containers - they come with erasable pens for labeling your food. Then there’s good old freezer tape, which admittedly I haven’t tried for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/49 "2012-10-16T03:43:07Z")
I can swear by the inventory of what’s in the basement freezer. Saves me forgetting what’s down there, or being disappointed to discover what I want isn’t! If you want to store ice cream, without it crystallizing and getting nasty, after you’ve done scooping, use the back of your scoop to flatten the ice cream surface, then put in a piece of saran and make sure it fully contacts the ice cream surface. Now you can keep it for months and months, in your freezer, without any problems. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/50 "2012-10-16T03:49:44Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > If you want to store ice cream, without it crystallizing and getting nasty, after you’ve done scooping, use the back of your scoop to flatten the ice cream surface, then put in a piece of saran and make sure it fully contacts the ice cream surface. Now you can keep it for months and months, in your freezer, without any problems. there is something very wrong with that. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/51 "2012-10-16T05:31:09Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Next time you defrost it, once it’s back in place put down some newspaper or something so you can just lift that out with all the dropped ice frozen to it… Hmmm… intriguing idea. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/52 "2012-10-16T14:09:03Z")
newspaper will take on moisture, freeze hard, get stuck like glue to freezer sizes. even plastic sheet can freeze down. to contain spills keep the bag of cubes inside of a small plastic tote. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/53 "2012-10-16T15:36:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by elbows View Post > If you want to store ice cream, without it crystallizing and getting nasty, after you’ve done scooping, use the back of your scoop to flatten the ice cream surface, then put in a piece of saran and make sure it fully contacts the ice cream surface. Now you can keep it for months and months, in your freezer, without any problems. > there is something very wrong with that. Huh? Why? You like ice cream when it’s old and improperly stored? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/54 "2012-10-16T15:56:53Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > If you want to store ice cream, without it crystallizing and getting nasty, after you’ve done scooping, use the back of your scoop to flatten the ice cream surface, then put in a piece of saran and make sure it fully contacts the ice cream surface. Now you can keep it for months and months, in your freezer, without any problems. > [@johnpost](#): > > there is something very wrong with that. > [@elbows](#): > > Huh? Why? You like ice cream when it’s old and improperly stored? no. how can ice cream be unconsumed for months is what is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/55 "2012-10-16T16:25:20Z")
Another use for a freezer. If you use rice or flour in volume, buy it in larger/cheaper quantities, and keep the excess in a container in the freezer. It keeps any bugs out, and it also works like those jugs of water, providing thermal mass in your freezer. As far as a light goes, can you mount a cheap track light on the ceiling over the freezer? No cutting holes in the seals, no worrying about batteries freezing. This thread has reminded me. I have a turkey in my freezer that I need to thaw out, cook, and refreeze in single meal amounts. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/56 "2012-10-16T16:37:57Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > Another use for a freezer. If you use rice or flour in volume, buy it in larger/cheaper quantities, and keep the excess in a container in the freezer. It keeps any bugs out, and it also works like those jugs of water, providing thermal mass in your freezer. I find that dubious advice. First, flour doesn’t have the thermal mass of liquid, and second, I store flour in airtight plastic tubs. I’ve never had a bug in them. And I imagine I will fill the freezer up with other stuff soon enough. > [@](#): > > As far as a light goes, can you mount a cheap track light on the ceiling over the freezer? No cutting holes in the seals, no worrying about batteries freezing. Good idea. On my next trip to Home Depot (it’s a hour away, so I don’t go there often) I’ll check for some kind of wall or ceiling-mount light. I like the rope idea because it puts the light right where you want it, but a direct-overhead one would work pretty well, too, and light the surrounding area better. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/57 "2012-10-16T16:38:42Z")
I have a similar freezer. I use it mostly for bulk storage so don’t go into it often. A few times a week or less. In 6 years\* I haven’t yet had to defrost it. Very little ice build up. \*YMMV depending upon the frequency and duration of opening as well as the temperature and humidity in the home. I have a post it note taped to the lid that I mark when I turned the the contents. I try to dig to the bottom every 2 to 3 months to make sure nothing gets lost down there. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/58 "2012-10-16T16:43:35Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > One thing you might try: keep a pad and clipboard by / on the freezer and note when you’ve added something, then cross it out when you remove something. It’s hard to keep up with that 100% but it can help remind you of what you’ve got in there, without the need to open it and rummage. I use a magnetic dry erase board and just attach it to the freezer. Actually I put it on the fridge upstairs as the chest freezer is in the basement. Also, except when I moved almost 5 years ago, I’ve never defrosted mine. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/59 "2012-10-16T17:22:36Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I find that dubious advice. First, flour doesn’t have the thermal mass of liquid, and second, I store flour in airtight plastic tubs. I’ve never had a bug in them… However… if the flour / rice / whatever comes _in_ with the bugs, storing it at room temperature in an airtight container won’t prevent the bugs from spoiling the food in the bin. Pantry moths are determined little critters, and can get into or out of “airtight” containers sometimes. The point with storing such things in the freezer is that if they do come into the house, the freezer will stop them from spreading - and it will keep bugs from _other_ sources from getting into the food. We had a brief bout of pantry moths, earlier this year. We localized it to a newly-purchased bag of whole wheat flour - the timing was suspicious, and when we opened it, we saw visible webbing on the paper bag. I wound up throwing out and/or freezing quite a lot of dry goods. We didn’t keep the dry goods in the freezer permanently, just long enough to make sure that anything that _had_ tried to get into the containers was stopped cold (sorry, I had to :D). In our case, we were fortunate that these steps appear to have gotten rid of the infestation. Friends who’ve had bigger problems tell me they’ve resorted to keeping dry goods in the freezer on a permanent basis. All that said: I’d agree that flour etc. aren’t ideal alternatives for thermal mass, though they might be better than empty air space if you need to fill up the freezer. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645/60 "2012-10-16T17:42:01Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > However… if the flour / rice / whatever comes _in_ with the bugs, storing it at room temperature in an airtight container won’t prevent the bugs from spoiling the food in the bin. Pantry moths are determined little critters, and can get into or out of “airtight” containers sometimes. The point with storing such things in the freezer is that if they do come into the house, the freezer will stop them from spreading - and it will keep bugs from _other_ sources from getting into the food. I guess it depends on how you define “air-tight.” I had some pantry moths (is that the scientific name?) years ago, and learned to always store any opened goods inside either a presslock plastic bag (the kind that seals totally) or in a plastic container. I have a series of plastic tubs with very tight-fitting lids, and that seems to do the trick. I’ve never opened my rice and found grains crawling around. It’s for sure that bugs can get in glass containers with snug, but not airtight lids. All it takes is a micro-crack or a lid that isn’t really flush, but the \*flexible \*plastic ones are different. The only bugs I have found have been in the folds of cardboard boxes; they aren’t able to get to the food which is in inner containers, they just use the dark space for cocoons. And those have diminished to almost none over winter since I began the enclosure procedure. I guess to show how tight some containers can be, I once forgot and left a handful of potatoes in a plastic tub over winter when the house wasn’t in use. When I returned, the tub had a watery brownish liquid in the bottom, but no live animals or plants appeared to be growing. Until I remembered the potatoes, I couldn’t figure out what it was. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bought-a-chest-freezer-lets-share-stories/637645.md?page=2)