Some people may never have to do it, so it just comes down to personal preference and risk avoidance. How often you need to do this depends on a bunch of factors, but at the most it will need to be done once a year. You do this by unplugging the freezer, emptying it, pulling a drain plug on the bottom, and letting the whole thing melt over the course of a few hours. Manuals need to be defrosted once a quarter-inch of ice has built up. The majority of upright freezers are frost-free, but there are some manual defrost options, which just hold a constant temperature.

Once again, you can protect against this by vacuum-sealing or tightly wrapping your food. The downside to frost-free is a heightened risk of freezer burn. This means you’ll never have to manually defrost the inside, as you would likely have to with a chest freezer. Frost-free: Frost-free freezers periodically rise from 0 degrees Fahrenheit (the ideal freezer temperature) to about 32 degrees Fahrenheit, to melt any frost buildup.All shelves should be adjustable and removable. At least three adjustable storage shelves: This is the standard number of shelves in an upright freezer, though plenty of models (particularly at larger capacities) have four.All three are common enough and useful enough that they gave us a reason to dismiss any freezer that lacked one or more of them. An interior light makes it easier to see inside your freezer.

Leveling legs allow you to properly balance the machine on uneven floors. Power-on indicator light, leveling legs or wheels, interior light: A power-on light lets you know at a glance whether the freezer is working, which is useful for preventing spoilage.Less empty space means less air moving around inside, and it’s air that forces the machine to work harder while increasing the risk of freezer burn. “The bigger they are the more you fill them up.” Of course you want to be realistic about your needs, not just because bigger freezers cost more, but because a full freezer is an efficient freezer. “Larger is better for the times you need more room like storing ice before a party.” Heather Marold Thomason, a butcher at Primal Supply Meats, told us there’s nothing worse than running out of space.

“If you hunt big game, you are likely to need a lot more freezer space when successful,” said rodngun from the hunting forum. Most experts agree it’s wise to overestimate rather than underestimate your needs. It’s also the most popular range of capacities, based on what manufacturers are selling. Capacity between 14 and 22 cubic feet: We think this is the sweet spot-not too big, not too small.“I had a hell of a time just finding the dove.” Also, unlike many chest freezers, the vast majority of uprights are frost-free, meaning you’ll never have to manually defrost the inside. “I piled elk on top of ducks and dove in a chest freezer and had to move the elk meat every time I wanted duck or dove,” he said. Greg F, a hunter from California with decades of experience, told us that uprights are ideal for the same reason. Most of the experts we spoke with agreed that uprights are more convenient for retrieving and organizing food, because you don’t have to go digging around for items buried at the bottom of a pile, as you would probably have to with chest freezers. Uprights offer more space with a smaller physical footprint. The other main type of freezer is a chest freezer, which looks more like a coffin or, well, a chest. This guide covers upright freezers, which look and operate just like a regular refrigerator with shelves-only at subfreezing temperatures and with a single door.

Upright freezer costco