Are you looking to stock up with even more great food in your freezer and need something new or bigger? Then this is the article for you.
We often get asked for recommendations for buying a freezer in Hong Kong and want to share some of our best tips.
Modern freezers have become exceptionally energy efficient and expanding your freezer size is a great way to stock up on food in your home or office. It also lets you take advantage of seasonal promotions and ensure you always have food on hand for those busy days you don't feel like standing in line at a crowded supermarket or getting splashed by live fish in the wet markets.
Make sure the freezer can fit!
You don't want to be stuck with a huge freezer that you can't fit through your doorway, into the lift or staircase.
Before you go out to buy a freezer take the time to measure well and mark down what the widest part of doorways and lifts are. If you are buying for an office in a commercial or industrial building they often have cargo elevators that can accommodate larger sizes. Keep in mind that new freezer come with a lot of packaging and padding around, so you may need to remove those to carefully navigate the freezer inside. Also keep in mind that any freezers made with stainless steel weigh like a small car and you will probably need help with the lifting and having some trolleys with wheels will be useful.
Types of freezers
There are three main types of freezers each with their own advantages.
Chest Freezers
We love chest freezers! These are our preferred freezers due to being economical to purchase, providing a lot of freezer space, energy efficient and relatively low in weight.
The weight savings makes it easier for people living in walk-up apartments or village houses with no elevator access in Hong Kong. We recommend using baskets to organize chest freezers and a small stool can be useful to reaching all the way into the bottom of the freezer.
With a huge chest freezer at home you can take advantage of stocking up on foods during promotions or why not try negotiating with wholesale food suppliers now that you have the frozen storage of a small sized restaurant.
Upright freezers
These are a great choice for people that want to keep their freezers organized and utilize as much height as possible for smaller apartments and living situations in Hong Kong.
These come in several compartments and lets you separate the food for instance a compartment for ready-meals, frozen veggies, meats, or seafood.
Generally you want to store the vegetables and cooked items along the top of the freezer and un-cooked foods towards the bottom.
Many upright freezers also come with defrosting functions which is convenient to avoid having to defrost the freezer from time to time. Some new modern freezers also have a vacuum function that ensure no air will get into the freezer when it's closed.
Drawer Freezers
These freezers come in many different sizes and designs. They can be a great choice for people that don't have space in their kitchens for a full freezer and instead want to place it in the living room or hallways. Certain drawer freezers come in retro-designs, modern stainless steel or with wooden panels to fit into a modern living room.
Frost
Hong Kong is humid almost year round with levels often being at 100% RH, meaning that it's not possible to get any more water to in the air. All this humidity in the air get into your freezer each time you open the door and condenses to build frost inside. Here are our 3 best tips for having less frost in your freezer, saving you from having to defrost it.
Open the freezer less often
We know what it's like with late night checking the freezer to find some meals or snacks to eat. But each time you open the door the humid Hong Kong air will go inside, condense and built of frost on the inside of your freezer. So we recommend you be like a SWAT team, decide on your target before opening the door then go in and get out.
Check and clean the seals on your freezer door
There are liners made from silicone that go around the door of your freezer to keep air from coming inside. It's a good idea to wipe these freezer seals or gaskets down every now and then. If you find the seals are hard, cracking or not sealing properly it's time to change them out for new ones.
Keep the food inside your freezer covered
Avoid putting food directly into the freezer unwrapped, as the moisture in the food will be drawn out and become frost inside your freezer. So always wrap, cover or seal all the foods you stuff inside.
Freezer settings and temperature
We recommend to keep your freezer at -18°C or below. Actually just keep your freezer on the lowest possible settings as colder is better for keeping food at it's optimum taste and nutrition. It is also important to install your freezer on a flat surface to avoid it moving around.
Freezer noise
There are several options for soundproofing a freezer if the compressor is keeping you up at night. Placing the freezers on a sound dampening mat will help lessen the noises from vibrations. Building the freezer into a cabinet with sound dampening materials will also help lessen the noise. However be careful not to block any condenser fans.
Removal of old freezer
Since 2018 in Hong Kong all electronics sellers must provide free removal of old appliances for customers who buy new ones from them. The old appliances will then be sent to reprocessing or recycling facilities across Hong Kong.
There is also a government hotline in Hong Kong, call 2676 8888 to request a free pick-up and disposal for your old freezer. They can also pick-up old washing machines and other electronic devices.
