Weigh in: Chest or upright freezer? What to freeze?

          

We've talked plenty about secondary freezers here. Renee bought a chest freezer last year, and I got an older upright for free. Freezers are great for preserving summer fruits and veggies, stocking up on meats and extra meals prepared in advance. After hearing various friends rave about their freezers, I knew I had to get one. It was pure luck that an acquaintance was getting rid of his 12-year old upright, so I didn't have to shop around or weigh the chest versus upright pros and cons. Free was the perfect fit, and we had plenty of space in our laundry room for the enormous upright, so it all worked out.

If you're thinking about getting a second freezer, it's worth it to do a little research. This article is pretty good at outlining things to consider. And the Energy Star Web site can help you calculate how much a certain model will cost you to operate each month. (We've noticed little to no difference in our electric bill compared to our pre-freezer days, and ours isn't Energy Star-rated.) The How Stuff Works site can help you compare prices and offers reviews on chest and upright freezer models. (OK, the word 'freezer' is totally freaking me out right now. Is that a real word? Is that how it's spelled? Freezer. Freezer. Ack!) Super-organized friends who have chest freezers say that making a map of everything in your freezer and keeping it updated will save you time, frustration and prevent 'mystery' foods from surfacing. Seriously, even with an upright, you need to label everything. It all starts to look the same after awhile.

I think regardless of what type you end up choosing, you will appreciate the benefits. A couple of days ago I mentioned the year's worth of freezer jam I made, which I couldn't have put up without the freezer. (Yes, I could have canned it instead, but I've not tried that before and we already have the freezer!) Buying and preserving items in bulk generally saves a bunch of money and time. Here are some things we've put in our freezer:

• We purchased 1/8th of a local, organic cow last winter at $2.30 per pound (steaks, roasts, ground) -- a steal.

• I bought about 20 loaves of our favorite bread from a local outlet at a hugely discounted price

• I freeze veggies from the farmer's marketor our CSA subscription to enjoy during the winter months when local produce is hard to come by. Best veggie experience? Dicing tons of onions all at once and freezing them in plastic baggies so that I don't have to do this at mealtime. Yes I cried buckets of tears, but it was so worth it (and diced onions freeze beautifully). Just about any fruit and veggie can be frozen (but it's worth getting a book or doing some research because some veggies should be blanched first, as I discovered after ruining some broccoli).

• Yesterday I froze 14 pounds of whole strawberries to use in smoothies throughout the year. Blueberries, marionberries and peaches are still to come.

• I've cooked up huge batches of brown and wild rice (a la Angry Chicken), freezing them in plastic bags so that I can quickly steam it up in the microwave for dinner. While I haven't tried this yet you can also freeze cooked beans in their liquid -- again great for last-minute healthy meals. You can store them in plastic baggies (just enough for one meal) or use plastic yogurt containers, glass jars or other glass storage containers.

• When the basil plants start to bolt, I make up a big batch of pesto and freeze meal-sized portions in baggies or small containers.

• I've made a big ole pot of chili and soup and froze meal-sized leftovers. You could do this with casseroles and so many other dishes.

That's just my story. Now it's your turn. Lots of folks are pondering a secondary freezer, so let's help them out with more inspiration. What kind of freezer do you have, and do you love it? Where did you get yours, and do you think it's been a cost-effective investment? Maybe you're just more concerned about preserving local, organic foods for year-round enjoyment? What do you put in your freezer? Oh, and I will need to defrost my freezer eventually (no auto defrost -- wah). Any tips?