get a freezer

Lots of ice cream, pizza, and other good stuffs! :D

My friend gave me a fridge freezer at the beginning of the year Don’t know how I managed without it!

Got a freezer this summer. Definitely worth it as my parents have a beef ranch and give us free meat. I just brought home a car trunk full. It was so good to be able to put all that meat in the freezer.

never mind..i can apparently get by without one :-)

The deliverymen just left, and the new freezer is gleaming like a perfect mountain of potential, its flickering lights shining in the dim corner of the basement like mischievious eyes. I had a big day today … I started off by going to the grocery store that promised me they would have dry ice for me today - only to find they had none! Their attitude was so surly and apathetic, I would have more easily tolerated rudeness - at least that would have shown some passion about their work!

I needed something to keep the meat order that was coming this morning cold, so while at the @#$^&! store I bought a single 22-pound bag of standard ice, which no one helped me ring up or carry to my car. I had a waiting cooler for the ice, and no one helped me load it. I ended up slamming my left hand in the cooler door, but I couldn’t stop to register the pain. I was overdue at the pickup spot for my Angel Food order. I cried in pain all the way there, with my hand throbbing in tempo with my heartbeat.

Then, I dried my eyes and arrived at the pickup depot. I found it to be much more organized than when I used to go in Florida. All the perishable raw meats were properly chilled, and everyone patiently stood in line as orders were packed and given to the waiting people. I chatted with the people ahead of me in line, as I was dead last. One of the men carried my food for me to my car and loaded it into my cooler. I gave him a can of food out of my order for his trouble.

Then, I got home and had to get a cooler weighing about 60+ lbs out of the back of my car basically one-handed! I did it and set the cooler in the carport, sealed with the ice and food, to keep cold while I waited for the freezer delivery to arrive between 12 noon and 2 PM.

The delivery people did not arrive until after 3 PM, but when they did they were professional and friendly. I was quite worried that this large freezer would not fit in the basement door and down the stairs, but it did. They took off the door and hand-carried it right down. I told them, You must really like your jobs, you are SO GOOD! They just laughed.

Then, the question came as to where I wanted the freezer. My basement has both a finished and unfinished section. I really wanted the freezer in the unfinished section (re: no carpet) in case it ever leaked. They trucked it in there and the cord was just long enough to plug into the ceiling, and the freezer was just short enough by only an inch or so to fit in that area!

Then, I got bold and asked them to carry my cooler with the food and ice downstairs, and they did! They even put my basement door back on its hinges, good as new!!

I have my freezer, and today I will be filling out my rebate form to send away for my free vacuum sealer, a gift with this purchase. For now, however, I am going to put a pizza in the oven (from my Angel Food order) and rest my aching hand.

Back in 2000, I bought my first freezer. It was a beautiful 20 cubic foot Frigidaire, taller than me with a lock and space galore. The purchase of this freezer meant that I had other options than home canning or using the food dehydrator to put up food in bulk quantities. I got a lot of use out of that freezer, but it like most of my possessions was a casualty of the hurricanes and collapsing roof in the garage.

My ex gave me a real hard time when I bought that freezer. We don’t need that! I was told, even though I was using my own money. You’re just going to waste it and forget what’s even in there! I was warned.

I made a lot of wonderful meals and did a lot of creative things with that freezer. Sure, some items did not work out as I had hoped, but with a little experimentation and practice, I had a system that worked well. Shelves for meats, pre-cooked casseroles, fruits, vegetables, breads and baked goods, and of course, butter and ice-cream. I even made bread and cookie doughs ahead of time, so in a flash they could be pulled from the freezer and just a few home-baked rolls or toll-house cookies could easily be served. I made whole apple and berry pies in advance, in case unexpected company came to visit. Even whole coffee cakes or sheets of my fudge brownies were prepared in advance as a special treat. Lastly, to insure my hard work I filled the door with 1/2 liter bottles of water that would freeze and form an insulating shell of ice; this would further extend the food storage life in the event of a storm-related power outage. This was all accomplished in about a week’s time, because I wanted to prove that this item was not only needed but would be beneficial to us both.

My attention and efficiency only enraged my ex. My brand new white Frigidaire ended up with a deep dent in it that happened to be in the same shape as the back of my head, sigh. So today, the prospect of buying a freezer, even 1,000 miles away from the original scene of the crime, made me tremble inside. My head vibrated like a tuning fork spinning resonance into the far reaches of my memory, distracting me from the task at hand. I left that freezer behind in the half-collapsed garage in Florida and drove away, food still secure on its shelves.

Despite these fears, since I moved to Kentucky I’ve been mourning the loss of that freezer. When I go grocery shopping and see sales, I have to hold myself back because I have no place to put the excess bounty. Earlier this week, I placed my order with Angel Food Ministries and just today I realized that I will not have enough freezer space for the food I expect to arrive on Saturday!

In response to this impending situation, I spent half of today shopping online and then in person. I visited several stores all over town and compared models, prices, energy efficiency ratings, features, sizes, and delivery costs and availability. Mostly however, I listened to my intuition. When I finally made my decision, I felt exhausted and relieved.

I arrived home just a few minutes ago, and I am really jazzed despite my fatigue. I got the largest freezer available in my price range from Best Buy, and I got them to come down on the price by another $50 when I had a business card with a competing price from another local store. I also procured a mail-in rebate for a free Frigidaire food vacuum sealer because I bought their brand of freezer. I have always wanted one of these sealers, and it is a perfect accessory to use with a new food storage plan! In addition, I got 18 months same as cash so my out-the-door price even when I added on a 3-year service plan was under $600.00, delivered with sales tax, for both appliances.

Delivery is expected on Saturday. I will probably have to store my food delivery in coolers with ice, but I have done that before for weeks on end. I can certainly do it for a few hours while my new freezer chills. This model is beautiful, if you can say that about a freezer. It has glass shelves, tip out baskets on the bottom and in the doors, as well as a temperature alarm. The most important thing is, it won’t have a head-shaped dent in it formed by someome’s anger and condemnation about something that is so essentially … me.

We checked out chest freezers at Sears. They were not as expensive as I thought. It looks like we will be able to buy one this summer.

I need a freezer to store all of vegatables I will be growing in my garden. I’d like to have more food on hand for my family and be able to take advantage of volume discounts.