If you only freeze a few portions and are short on space, first check whether your fridge-freezer compartment is big enough. An upright freezer is better for portions you want to organise and access regularly. A chest freezer is more suited to large containers or bigger stocks of food, provided you have enough room and the model is suitable for the space. Whichever option you choose, compare usable capacity, footprint and annual energy consumption before adding or replacing an appliance.
If you often take out individual meals, start by checking how much room is available in your fridge-freezer. If portions are piling up, the drawers in an upright freezer can make it easier to organise them by date or meal type.
A chest freezer can hold bulky containers, making it a good option for large dishes or bulk buys. You’ll need to allow for its floor space and organise the contents so you can find food stored at the bottom.
Before adding another appliance, measure the freezer capacity in your fridge-freezer and the space your meals take up. A dedicated freezer needs room and, as ADEME points out, runs continuously.
Start with how much food you need to store and how often you’ll take it out. Then check that the type of freezer you’re considering will fit in the room where you plan to install it.
Worth considering: for a few portions, if your existing compartment still has enough room for your other frozen food.
Bear in mind: you avoid adding another appliance, but the compartment can fill up quickly if you regularly prepare meals.
Worth considering: if you want to organise portions and access them regularly in drawers.
Bear in mind: allow room for the door to open and for the drawers to slide out.
Worth considering: for large containers or bigger stocks of food, if you have enough floor space.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to organise things carefully to reach food at the bottom.
| Priority | What to check | Think about your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity and storage | Compare freezer capacity in litres, not just the total capacity of a fridge-freezer. Check the drawers, baskets or free space available for your containers. | I want to store my portions without filling the whole compartment and be able to find a particular meal easily. |
| Freezing newly prepared meals | If you add lots of meals on the same day, check the model’s freezing capacity in kg/24 h on its product information or in EPREL. | After a batch-cooking session, I have several meals to freeze at once, so the model’s freezing capacity matters just as much as its storage space. |
| Installation | Measure the height, width and depth, allowing enough room to open the door or lift the lid. If the room is unheated, check the ambient temperature range permitted for the exact model. | My appliance needs to fit in the room without blocking the way, even when it’s open. |
| Energy consumption | Compare annual energy consumption in kWh and frozen storage capacity across models suited to similar needs. The European Commission provides this information on the energy label and in EPREL. | If I add a freezer that runs continuously, I want to choose a capacity that suits the amount of food I actually store. |
| Maintenance and use | Check the defrosting system, access to portions, noise level and stated storage time in the event of a power cut. These features vary between models. | I open my freezer often and want to know what maintenance to expect, without assuming that the words “No Frost” tell me everything about its performance. |
Its deep storage space can take large containers, but portions at the bottom are less convenient to reach every day.
Use baskets, label meals with the date and keep food you plan to eat soon within easy reach. If you often need to access small portions, compare an upright freezer with drawers too.
The permitted ambient temperature depends on the model, not simply on whether it’s an upright or chest freezer. Beko and Liebherr offer some models designed for cold rooms, but that doesn’t apply to their entire ranges.
Compare the temperature range specified for the appliance you’re considering with the temperatures in your room, in both winter and summer.
An energy rating letter tells you neither the storage capacity nor a model’s annual energy consumption. ADEME points out that fridges and freezers run continuously.
For models with a capacity suited to the same amount of food, check the kWh/year on the energy label, the frozen storage capacity and the model’s details in EPREL.
Drawers or a No Frost function alone won’t tell you how long food will stay frozen during a power cut, the freezing capacity or the noise level.
Check each of these separately. Where independent test results are available, look for tests of the specific model; UFC-Que Choisir assesses models against several separate criteria.
The features below apply to specific ranges or models. A feature advertised by a brand won’t necessarily be available on all its appliances.
The brand offers chest and upright freezers with different defrosting features, depending on the model.
Some Beko models let you compare a No Frost system with a stated suitability for cold rooms.
Some Bosch upright freezers offer features worth considering if you organise portions or occasionally store large dishes.
The French range includes No Frost upright freezers, including high-capacity models.
This selection includes chest freezers, compact upright freezers and a fridge-freezer. Compare each appliance with the type that suits the amount of food you need to store, your storage habits and the room where it will be installed.
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Worth considering for large dishes or bigger stocks of food, if you have enough space to open the lid. This 291 L chest freezer is described as convertible between refrigeration and freezing, with five temperature settings and a removable basket. For a cellar or garage, check the permitted ambient temperature. If you freeze lots of meals on the same day, also check the capacity in kg/24 h.
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This 99 L chest freezer could suit a smaller stock of portions, provided you have room to access it from above. Its product title specifies a 4-star freezer and a removable basket. Before choosing this type, check its annual energy consumption, the permitted ambient temperature in the room and the maintenance it requires.
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Worth considering if you want to organise portions that you access often: the product title specifies a 161 L capacity, three freezer drawers and a No Frost function. Measure the space needed to open the door and pull out the drawers, then check the annual energy consumption and permitted ambient temperature for your room.
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This 60 L upright freezer with three drawers could suit a need for separate portions in a small space, rather than larger stocks of food. Its product title specifies a reversible door and temperature control. Check the dimensions with the door open, annual energy consumption and defrosting system.
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This fridge-freezer offers an integrated compartment as an alternative to a dedicated freezer. The product title specifies a total capacity of 262 L, a 70/30 split and Low Frost: check the freezer compartment capacity separately to make sure it suits your portions. Its stated dimensions are 54 cm wide and 176 cm high. Also check the space needed to open the door and the permitted ambient temperature.
No. Also compare the freezer capacity you need for your meals and the appliance’s dimensions. According to the European Commission, the label provides information including energy consumption and storage volume; EPREL lets you look up details for the exact model. Annual energy consumption is only useful when you take into account the capacity you need.
No. Check the ambient temperature range specified for the exact model and compare it with the temperatures in the room. Some appliances are designed for unheated spaces, but you can’t tell whether they’re suitable just from their chest or upright design.
No. They’re different features, so check which one applies to the model you choose. Beko describes No Frost as a system that prevents frost from forming on some models, while Liebherr says SmartFrost reduces how often you need to defrost the CFd 2505 chest freezer. Check your appliance’s maintenance instructions.
Check the freezer’s stated storage time and, if an independent test has been carried out on the model, the conditions under which that time was measured. UFC-Que Choisir assesses this separately: you can’t work out how long food will stay frozen from the capacity in litres or the presence of drawers.