A freezer is an appliance that is used to freeze bulk quantity of food items without actually degrading its nutrient value. Freezers come in various models right from chest, upright or worktop models mainly depending upon the requirements. It is very important to consider certain issues such as the brand and model name, size, energy rating, frost-free or auto-defrost models before buying any model.

Some important factors to be looked into are:

• How much space do you have for the freezer?

• Do you desire for a chest freezer, or an upright freezer?

• How much food do you need to store in your freezer?

• What about energy saving?

Types of freezers:

The four main types of freezers are:

Upright freezers

These models are designed to be placed in the kitchen. They stand upright and occupy less space.

Chest freezers

These models come with baskets instead of shelves. You can also avail of a child lock facility to keep certain food items out of sight from children. These are normally placed in utility rooms or garages, as it comes with top opening lid.

Mini freezers

These models can be selected when you are short of space. They are compact in size.

Integrated freezers

This model may be used when you need uniformity in the kitchen. When the door is closed it matches the rest of the kitchen.

Factors to be considered when deciding upon a freezer are:

Energy efficiency

It is always better to go for a machine with the highest energy efficiency to save money on electricity bills during a long run. You can find the energy rating on the label. Energy ratings come in the range of ‘A’ to ‘G’, rate ‘A’ being the best and rate ‘G’ being the worst. Freezers that come in energy rating beyond ‘C’ such as ‘D’, ‘E’, ‘F’ and ‘G’ were banned in the month of September 1999. Machines manufactured after this date must have a minimum rating of ‘C’. Chest freezers are allowed to have a minimum energy rating of ‘E’.

CFC- and HFC-free

Almost all refrigeration appliances are now manufactured without the use of CFC while most of the refrigeration appliances are without the use of HFC. CFC and HFC are extremely dangerous to the atmosphere.

Placement

Freezers may be placed anywhere if the top panels are removable. But it must be placed in such a place, where there is adequate air supply and also an outlet for the warm air from the condenser. Most of the freezers require a minimum of 50mm to 100mm space between the top edges.

Size

The size of the freezer has to be checked before buying any model. The freezer must easily fit the available space. You must know exactly the height, width and depth of the freezer you are about to buy to know the space it would occupy. Upright freezers that come with a capacity of 10 cubic feet should be apt for an average family.

Temperature

Freezers that are available in the market come with four star which means it is capable of storing the food for a period between 3 months and 12 months. They are also designed to fast freeze food items at -26ºC and keep food at 18ºC.

Drawers

Freezers come with drawers, which are more convenient as the air does not escape whenever the door is opened. Also the drawers are transparent to facilitate easy selection of food item.

Controls

You must look for the controls that are available in the freezers especially the external controls like on/off button, temperature warning light and fast freeze option. The doors must automatically close if it is left open to avoid the temperature rising inside the freezer.

Fast freeze

This option can be used to avoid temperature rising when warm foods are placed in and also to preserve the quality of the food. Some models come with auto fast freeze feature whereby the freezer automatically cuts when the temperature in the freezer becomes too warm. The freezer then turns on when the food is frozen to the safest level.

Frost free

This does not require defrosting. As the food is frozen, no ice crystals are formed inside. This retains the nutritional value of the food.

Installation

When installing the freezer you must allow a gap of at least 25mm at the sides, top and back. Lack of adequate ventilation will make the compressor work harder. It is better to keep the freezer left overnight for the correct temperature to be set before the food is loaded in.

What should be done with the old freezer?

Old freezers may contain CFC gases that are harmful for the atmosphere. Hence it must be destroyed by following appropriate measures. In case you need any assistance in disposing the freezer, you may approach your local council.

General

Selecting the right model according to our requirement is more important than getting some model that looks attractive. It must be worth spending money on any product we buy.