Yes, and they tend to hold more per cubic foot. But you’d be foolish to just dump foods into chest.
I reluctantly bought a small chest freezer recently, and it’s worked out well on all fronts. It’s small enough that things don’t get “lost”.
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Defrosting is a pain in the something, but it forces me to take inventory yearly. Which is also helpful. Even with the upright things can get tucked behind and out of sight out of mind
Not to mention an excellent workout as our freezer is in the basement and the warm water to speed defrost is upstairs.
We had a chest freezer when we were first married and it was okay. The food on top tended to cycle out the quickest and things on the bottom tended to linger. It died while we were on vacation in Europe (last big hurrah before parenthood) so I admit my memories are a bit tarnished as I had specifically bought some frozen pizzas so we could have easy sleep deprived food when we got home and ick.
Replaced with a Whirlpool upright. Not a frost free cause that cost a bunch more but I don’t mind defrosting as it helps me keep track of what’s in there. I do zones- each area has a certain product: Leftovers/planned overs: the lasagna, stock, meatballs all go in this area. Store bought stuff: ice cream,. frozen dumplings, tots, fish sticks, shredded cheese etc Proteins : Uncooked meats/seafood. Produce: Frozen berries, veggies Door holds breads, freezer jams, butter, odds and ends that I can’t stuff other places.
Next time I defrost I am working on a master list that I will tape to the freezer door so I can write down in /out. I also block the door close with a case of bottled water. My family isn’t as diligent as they cook be about making sure the door is closed!
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To me, this is the best argument yet for a “smart” freezer that you can use for keeping inventory.
I have a chest freezer with 2 baskets.
In the baskets I tend to keep chopped Herbs from the garden:
Italian Parsley, Cilantro, Dill, Chives, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano and Garlic Chive.
I also keep grated cheeses:
Parmigiano Reggiano, Romano Pecorino, Grana Padano and Asiago.
The other basket stores:
Tofu, Bacon and breakfast sausages.
I have zones for my freezer with cardboard boxes.
Bottom Left:
Pork Roasts, Pork Chops and Lamb which leaves a little room at the front for cheat meals eg. Pot stickers, Corn Dogs, Round Sausage Patties and Bacon wrapped Sausages.
Middle:
Any fish and Seafood
on top of Fish/Seafood in Freezer travel bags from Ikea (for easy removal) variety of vegetables.
Bottom Right:
Steak and Chicken
Space Beside the Motor:
a bottle of Vodka and Caraway Akvavit.
Upright freezers take up less real estate, easier to access, and clean.
Chests are cheaper, more storage, and last longer.
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I have a chest freezer in my garage, along with an apt-sized fridge freezer. Have had a couple of different chest freezers for the past 30 years. Not sure how I’d be with an upright as I’m so used to a chest freezer.
Yeah, it can sometimes be tough to find things. That’s why I started to keep an Excel spreadsheet on my upstairs fridge a long ago with quantities and sizes of items, sorted out by grouping the like items. Stackable items (meat sauce, containers of lasagna, etc.) go in the fridge freezer. In the chest freezer, I put those items in the same general area of the freezer in plastic bags if multiples of a single item, like hamburgers. I update the fridge list when it gets too messy. I’m not home right now; otherwise I’d take a picture of the list.
Wait. Found a pic from January. Something like this. It’s been a lifesaver.
And yes, that’s a CH magnet holding the bottom if the list.
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That’s pretty amazing. So those items are sort of permanent, even weights/quantity? 2 Tbs lime juice!
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That is awesome. Felix Unger would even be amazed!!! Well done.
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When we were looking for chest freezers about a year or two ago, we couldn’t find a reasonably priced one in the size we needed that was frost-free. We’ll get around to defrosting it when the buildup gets to be too much. 
That’s great! And of course, so is the magnet.
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We have uprights which I prefer. However, if I were to go with a chest style I’d buy 2 smaller ones so I could turn one off during periods of low usage. FWIW.
It depends on the containers I have to store things in. But the old Tupperware Midgets are perfect for fresh lime and lemon juice. I rarely use more of either of those juices in a recipe, so they work. And store in the freezer door stacked 2 up.
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I can totally see that! And I imagine you don’t have to get too many folks to cooperate with you.
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That’s a good idea. That opens things up to all kinds of possibilities. I’m thinking his and hers freezers. When it comes to chest style freezers, I think it works out best when just one person is managing the contents since organization is more important in a chest style. Or, one used for long term storage and one for more frequently used stuff. That way the one that holds long term could be used for storage on top or put under a cabinet. Put wheels on it to pull out when needed. Or, one for meat and the other for everything else. Hmmm…
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Oh! Never storage on top! Not in my house at least. We went down that road at a previous home, and digging out the freezer itself was more arduous than finding what was at the bottom of it. Flat spaces accumulate things naturally, but now, our chest freezer in the garage is the only unoccupied square footage of flat space in the entire house. Rules is rules.
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LOL, so true! That’s why I decided that putting wheels on it and putting under a cabinet would be better. Then stuff could be accumulated on top of the cabinet. That would be an annoying extra step which is why it would hold only long term storage. That is a good thing to think about with a chest freezer, not putting things on top. Will everyone play by the rules? I don’t think I would.
