If price is your main priority, this simple freezer will do the job and give you extra space for summer ice creams or batch-cooked winter stews. Do you have the patience to defrost it regularly? Chest freezers don't tend to be frost-free, so you'll need to go through the arduous task of defrosting it manually when ice starts to build up. Head to our guide on how to defrost your freezer for our tips. The size you buy will depend on the amount of space you have to put it in, as well as the amount of food you’ll want to store. Some people want a large chest freezer to hold vast quantities of food. Others prefer a smaller space-saving model to hold the overflow of frozen food that won’t fit into the main kitchen freezer. Chest freezers come in all sorts of sizes, from small, square, 55 x 62cm deep models to large, deep chests that are more than 110cm wide. No two kitchens are alike, and each one requires different appliances to work for the cooks in the house. Which is why we strive to make our freezer range as diverse as possible. Towering at the top of our collection are our prized freestanding freezers, which have six drawers available to separate your frozen goods.

Despite the generous 519-litre capacity, there’s only one basket supplied, so you will need to develop a method of organising your food or you will never find what you’re looking for. You will also need to make sure you’ve got somewhere to put it because it’s large and can’t go in an outbuilding. Secure Trust Bank PLC (register number 204550) is authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA and the PRA. There’s a fast freeze function as well as a warning light to let you know when the temperature is too high. And should you experience a power cut, your food will stay frozen for up to 40 hours. The top-opening design of the appliance is convenient and space-efficient, and the temperature control dial at the front of the freezer is so straightforward as to be foolproof.

A counterbalanced lid will stay fixed in an open position once you’ve lifted it, leaving you with both hands free to add food or rummage around to find the item you’re looking for. Without this, you’ll have to prop the lid up with one hand while you reach inside with the other. Fast-freeze At this price, you don’t get all the bells and whistles such as a digital temperature display or temperature warnings if you’ve left the door open. However, if you get a power cut it will keep food cold for up to 17 hours. It comes with one storage basket that slides from left to right so you can easily access the food below.

The price you pay will depend on the size and brand you buy. In general, the larger the freezer, the higher the price (when compared with models from the same brand). Small chest freezer prices Given that chest freezers are quite large, you may be looking to keep it in your garage. Most freezers aren’t designed to work in rooms that get colder than 10°C, though, so there's a risk that your freezer might not work properly there, and it could invalidate the warranty. Some chest freezers have a fast-freeze function, which gives an extra burst of cooling power. This can come in handy if any pre-frozen food you've bought from the supermarket has warmed up on the drive home. High temperature warningKey specs – Dimensions: 84.5 x 165 x 74.5cm (HWD); Capacity: 519 litres; Fast freeze: Yes; Energy rating: F; Freezer star rating: 4; Temperature warning: Light; Open door warning: No; Suitable for outbuildings: No

If you don’t need one of the largest models but a compact chest freezer is too small, this Hotpoint model is a great middle ground. The 255-litre capacity will give you plenty of additional freezer space and it’s suitable for outbuildings, so you can put it wherever you like. As chest freezers are usually used as a secondary freezer, many people utilise space in their garage, shed or other outbuildings for this additional food storage. These outbuildings are often not insulated, and the internal temperature can plummet as the weather gets cold. Not all freezers will work in very low temperatures, look out for the optimum ambient or room temperature in the freezer specifications. Most chest freezers work effectively between 10 and 43°C, but if you want to keep it outside your house, you will need one that can work in lower temperatures. Key specs – Dimensions: 85.4 x 62.5 x 55.9cm (HWD); Capacity: 142 litres; Fast freeze: No; Energy rating: F; Freezer star rating: 4; Temperature warning: No; Open door warning: No; Suitable for outbuildings: YesOur guide to the best freezer brands will help you choose the brand for you. Best chest freezer features to consider What do you want to freeze? Chest freezers are a great choice if you need to freeze bulky items like large joints of meat, or you tend to buy in bulk. Smaller items tend to get lost in cavernous chest freezers, so they're better stored in an upright or fridge freezer.

It's worth bearing a few things in mind while you're choosing a chest freezer to make sure you get the right one for you:Chest freezers do not come with a fan. This restricts the air circulation, which causes its temperature to be inconsistent. Nevertheless, as long as your chest freezer can keep a below-freezing temperature, it will not harm your foods. It can keep your foods cold for as long as three days when there are power outages, or you're moving to another home, as long as its lid is not open.