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. Key specs – Dimensions: 85 x 54.5 x 49.5cm (HWD); Capacity: 99 litres; Fast freeze: No; Energy rating: F; Freezer star rating: 4; Temperature warning: No; Open door warning: No; Suitable for outbuildings: No

While this low-cost chest freezer will work for many households, it certainly isn’t perfect. The L95CFW23 is not recommended for use in outbuildings that are vulnerable to very low temperatures, and there’s no auto-defrost, so you’ll have some scraping to do every now and then. 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: YesKey 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

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. It’s not a budget-busting price, but nevertheless it comes with most of the features you will need. The Frost Away feature reduces ice formation, so it won’t need defrosting as regularly as some others. The counterbalanced lid and LED internal light combine to make life easy when you’re searching for that missing tub of ice cream, or you can utilise the basket to store smaller items and keep them within easy reach. If you’re looking to maximise your frozen food storage and don’t mind paying a premium, the huge Haier HCE519F is the chest freezer to buy.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 warning 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: If you have sufficient storage space, buying a medium-sized chest freezer will make a lot of sense. You’re taking pressure off your main fridge freezer, while increasing your overall capacity to store frozen foods.