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If your vegetable garden produces a rich harvest, it is important to preserve zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, radishes, etc. But where do you put them? Freezing allows you to store healthy food in a way that preserves its nutritional value. Freezers offer enough space to enjoy the produce from your own garden for many months. You can also use them to preserve seasonal fruit until winter. You can easily store your family’s weekly shopping in the spacious freezers. In this guide, you will find out which features are important when buying a freezer and what volume you need for your household.

Gently chilled: Food from the freezer

Freezers allow for a great deal of flexibility in your diet. Instead of buying fresh food every day, you can do a bulk purchase once a week. You can simply store perishable ingredients for your meals in the freezer as needed. If you prefer to prepare your own meals, you can simply cook twice as much and freeze half.

The frozen strawberries complement your breakfast cereal, leftover cake from the last family celebration can be easily stored for the next coffee break, and even on Sunday evening you can enjoy bread or rolls that, once defrosted and reheated, taste almost like they’re fresh from the bakery. The devices also show their strengths when storing freshly harvested fruit and vegetables from your own garden. Modern freezers freeze food particularly quickly and thus largely preserve the valuable ingredients.

The right model for your household

Freezers come in different designs, from low chests to tall built-in units. The type of appliance you want to use to freeze your food depends on the space available in your home. The following models are available.

Built-in freezers: tailor-made for your kitchen

If you want the refrigerator to be seamlessly integrated into a free niche in your kitchen front, built-in freezers are the right choice. They fit exactly into the standardized recesses and blend harmoniously into the line with a furniture front and plinth panel in the design of your kitchen . When purchasing, note that these two elements are not included in the scope of delivery of the devices. The most common niche height is 88 cm, but there are also built-in freezers that fill 60, 72, 82, 102 or 123 cm high recesses. The niche width also varies – it is usually between 54 and 60 cm.

Tip: Measure your niche carefully before ordering the appliance of your choice. Also make sure that the door hinge is on the right side or can be changed.

Freestanding freezers: flexible placement

Free-standing freezers are ideal for a spacious kitchen where there is space to place them as far away from the stove and heater as possible. The higher the ambient temperature, the more energy the appliance uses. If you often spend time in the immediate vicinity of the freezer, you should make sure that the noise level is low. Values under 35 decibels (dB) are barely noticeable, above 40 dB you can hear the appliance working, and above 45 dB you may feel disturbed. Whether free-standing or in a niche: make sure that the back of the appliance is far enough away from the wall so that no heat builds up on the compressor.

Tip: Since large-volume appliances reach the usable capacity above their height, small people may not be able to reach the top drawer. You should take this into account when choosing a model.

Chest freezers: spacious and economical coolers

If you have a lot of space in your kitchen or pantry, or if you want to set up your refrigerator in the basement, chest freezers are a good choice. Due to their width, chest freezers take up more space than upright freezers – especially since the area above the upward-opening lid should remain free. However, you can also store large frozen items such as game or poultry in one piece in these spacious and, compared to cupboards, cheaper appliances. You can store smaller food items in hanging baskets. Chest freezers are around 25% more economical in consumption than their cupboard counterparts with the same usable capacity, because significantly less cold air escapes when the appliance is opened upwards.

Important features of freezers

Thanks to the well thought-out energy-saving and convenience functions of the refrigeration appliances, freezing food is cost-effective and convenient. The following criteria play a role in the purchase decision.

Energy-saving devices

The energy efficiency class, which can be found in the product description, provides information about the operating costs of your freezer. Models with the A+++ rating use around 50% less electricity than devices in class A+. Compared to the A++ category, the saving is 25%.

NoFrost: Defrosting, goodbye

Thick ice layers that are difficult to defrost are a thing of the past with NoFrost. This technology keeps the air in the freezer dry and prevents frost from forming. Chest freezers are often equipped with a Low, Smart or StopFrost function , which doesn’t completely save you from having to defrost, but makes it necessary much less often thanks to significantly reduced ice formation.

Super cooling function

The Superfrost function allows you to quickly freeze large quantities of fresh food or pre-cooked meals. The freezer lowers the temperature for a certain period of time at the touch of a button or starts the process automatically when you put the food in. In particularly sophisticated devices, a sensor records the amount of food being frozen and switches off the quick freeze as soon as everything is completely frozen.

VarioRoom: flexible sorting

In freezers with the VarioRoom, VarioZone or VarioSpace functions, the shelves and drawers can be removed and arranged individually. This means you can use the space as you wish and store bulky frozen goods if necessary. Large drawers, freezer trays and telescopic and roller systems for easy removal of the compartments are further convenience features of the room concept.

Safety functions: alarm signals and automatic door closing

Automatic door closing and alarm signals in the event of temperature problems protect the contents from spoiling. Displays with digital temperature indicators make it easier to set and check that the freezer is functioning correctly. Some freezers also have a door lock so that unauthorized persons or children cannot access the frozen food.

Devices for unheated rooms

If you want to set up the freezer in the garage or garden shed , you should choose a device that can be used in unheated rooms. Most of these freezers and some cabinet models can be operated at temperatures down to -15°C.

From singles to large families: space requirements in the freezer

Choosing the right size freezer is a key factor in achieving a good energy balance. Half-empty chests and cupboards use up unnecessary amounts of energy, and ones that are too small negate many of the advantages of storing food. The usable capacity, measured in liters, provides information about the volume.

Households with one to two persons

Singles and couples can get by well with compact freezers or fridge-freezer combinations. If you don’t freeze much, you should calculate around 40 l of usable capacity per person. If you like to cook for yourself or for two, you’ll be on the safe side with up to 80 l per person. You’ll find what you’re looking for in the appliance category up to 149 l. The prices for freezers for small quantities are between €140 and €750. The higher-priced cabinet models are particularly economical, equipped with NoFrost technology and can freeze quickly.

Families with three to four people

Here, too, a calculation of 40 to 80 liters per family member has proven to be a good idea. If you keep a lot of food, you can easily end up with more than 100 liters per person. In this case, take a look at the category of appliances with a usable capacity of up to 349 liters. If you do a lot of pre-cooking or freezing fresh food, the freezing capacity becomes more important. This value shows how many kilograms of food the freezer can cool from +25° C to -18° C in 24 hours. A super-cooling function should also be available. Freezers for this household size are available from €250, very well-equipped models cost up to €1,500.

Large families and households with special storage space requirements

For volumes above 350 l, extra-large upright freezers and deep freezers are an option. In addition to large families of five or more people, garden owners who want to freeze a rich harvest or hunters also have a greater need for usable capacity. The latter can house deer, pheasants or wild boar in spacious freezers. Devices for freezing large quantities cost between €360 and €1,300, with chest freezers being cheaper models.

Tip: When buying a generously sized freezer, you should pay attention to a good room layout with an efficient organization system.

Tips for site selection and operation

The choice of location for your freezer depends on the spatial conditions. If you are flexible in this respect, choose the coolest place. Freezers work most energy-efficiently at an ambient temperature of around 10° C. When setting up, make sure that the minimum distance from the wall at the back, as stated in the operating instructions, is maintained so that the air can circulate unhindered. The first time you put the frozen food in after buying the appliance, it can only be put in after a few hours of pre-cooling, when the temperature has reached -18° C. This value should also be set as the standard freezing temperature.

Conclusion: Freeze food according to space and needs

Freezers make it easier to store supplies. You can buy frozen food in advance, freeze home-cooked meals and store the fruit and vegetables from your garden for the winter in a way that preserves nutrients. Depending on the space available in your kitchen or basement, the appliances are available in various sizes as built-in and free-standing models. When buying, also consider the required usable capacity:

• Singles and two-person households choose freezers and chest freezers that offer up to 149 l of usable capacity. The compact models are available from €140. High-quality appliances costing up to €750 have convenience features such as NoFrost and quick freezing.
• For medium quantities of frozen goods, such as those produced by a family of three or four, you are usually adequately equipped with freezers in the category up to 349 l. Cost depending on the equipment: €250 to €1,500.
• Models with a usable capacity of more than 350 l, which are available for €360 to €1,300, offer plenty of space for the supplies of large families, hunters and garden owners. The larger the device, the clearer the options for dividing up the space and sorting the food should be so that you can keep track of everything.

FAQ: The most important questions about freezers in advance

Which freezer is quiet?

Freezers with a noise emission of 38 to 40 dB (decibels) are considered particularly quiet . Their volume level is roughly equivalent to background music or whispering. Models with 42 to 50 dB are louder and can be compared to a conversation at normal volume or birdsong.

Which freezer uses the least electricity?

Particularly economical freezers correspond to energy efficiency class A+++ (A+++ to D). Depending on their size and usable capacity, they consume between around 90 and 200 kWh (kilowatt hours) per year. A+ models – also depending on the usable capacity – are between 150 and 335 kWh per year.

What is a no-frost system?

A no-frost system reduces the formation of ice on the inside walls of the freezer by keeping the air dry. This means that you generally no longer need to defrost your freezer.

What is the difference between No Frost and automatic defrost?

While No-Frost reduces the humidity in the air and thus prevents ice formation, automatic defrosting only comes into play when ice of a certain thickness has already formed. A heater on the rear wall is then activated, which melts the ice.