For so many of us, grocery shopping habits have changed quite a bit over the past year. Instead of heading to the grocery store for a daily stock up, we’ve all switched to buying in bulk including frozen items like meat, fish, poultry, bread, and other treats. The only downside to bulk shopping is how your fridge’s freezer is packed bursting, but that’s where the very compact Insignia chest freezer comes in.
Yes, you can have a chest freezer in a small home, condo, or apartment. The Insignia 7 cu.ft. capacity chest freezer gives you more than enough room to store all of your freezer goods, and it’s so small, it will fit in a larger closet, on your deck, or in a garage.
Appearance and features of the Insignia chest freezer
The Insignia Chest Freezer measures 81.6cm (32.13″) wide by 85cm (33.46″) high and has a depth of 55cm (21.65″). It weighs 29 kg (64 lb).
- 7 cu.ft. capacity freezer gives you a ton of space for all of your favourite frozen food
- Compact, lightweight design lets you place it anywhere
- Includes wire basket and one internal shelf
- LED interior light turns on when you open the lid
- Manual defrost with drain to remove melted ice
- Adjustable temperature controls on front of appliance
Setting up the Insignia chest freezer
I love it when I can unbox and set something up myself, and much to my surprise, I had no problem setting up the Insignia chest freezer on my own. The packaging slides over the top of the freezer and the freezer itself sits on a base of styrofoam. Once you pull the box off you can just tip the freezer back and move styrofoam out from under it.
I was able to shift the freezer and move it into position just by pushing it across the floor. To plug it in you’ll need to remove the power cord from the compartment at the back of the freezer. The cord itself is quite long, measuring about 5 feet, so you have options for plugging in. It connects to any standard home outlet.
Because this chest freezer is so compact, you can place it in many out-of-the-way spots. If you do want to place it outside on a deck or in an unheated garage, you should keep in mind that the optimal temperature range for the freezer is around 10 degrees Celsius to 85 Celsius. It’s not an Energy Star rated appliance, but this is the range where your freezer will take the least amount of energy to keep your food cold.
Using the Insignia chest freezer
When your Insignia chest freezer is plugged in, you can start thinking about what you’re going to put in it. It takes about an hour to begin to get cold inside and it will start freezing food at the two-hour mark.
There is a light inside the appliance that lights up when you open the lid. The lid itself doesn’t have a latch or a lock, and there is no soft close option. That being said, I did slam the lid shut a few times just to hear it and it wasn’t jarring or anything.
Setting the temperature
This chest freezer has a temperature dial on the front of the appliance and there is a small light to indicate the power is on. You can set the temperature from minimum to maximum, but there are no numbers to indicate exactly how cold it is inside. Most people will set the dial to the middle of the two options, but if you’d like an exact temp, you can place a thermometer inside the appliance for a few minutes and take a look at the reading.
Making the most of the freezer compartment
The freezer compartment is quite deep, but when I bent over the appliance I was easily able to touch the bottom. That means you can fill it up with all sorts of foods and you won’t have to worry about having your favourites stuck down on the bottom.
There is one shelf on the side of the Insignia Chest Freezer that you can use for different frozen foods, and there is also a removable wire basket that fits at the top. This is the spot I’d place different items like popsicles or ice cream bars.
I didn’t place food inside of the chest freezer, but I’m fairly sure it could easily hold at least 20 loaves of bread. In my house, that’s a big deal. We’re constantly running out of bread, and it would be amazing to have a bulk supply on hand.
The internal cavity makes it easy to stack foods in blocks, and I would most likely add a cube crate or two to the bottom so I can separate foods into sections.
Defrosting the freezer
There is a drain hole on the front of the Insignia chest freezer and one on the inside. This freezer has manual defrost so that means you’ll just unplug it, let the built-up ice melt, and let it drain out of the appliance.
There is an included plastic ice scraper to help you with defrosting and ice build-up. You just run it up and down the ice blocks so everything falls to the bottom.
Child safety on chest freezers
There is no child safety lock on this chest freezer. As someone with kids myself, I have always been aware of the potential hazards of appliances. While there is no latch on the lid, the lid won’t come down unless you pull it down either as there is no spring or automatic close on this appliance.
To be safe, I recommend childproofing this chest freezer and every other appliance you own. The best way to childproof a chest freezer is by using an all-purpose strap or multi-use lock. You can find them in the child safety section at Best Buy.
Should you choose the Insignia chest freezer?
With a great price point, roomy interior, and compact size, the Insignia chest freezer really is a must-have. Buying in bulk saves money on your grocery bill, and with this chest freezer, you’ll have a place to freeze plenty of foods of all kinds.
You can find the Insignia Chest Freezer at Best Buy right now.
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