new freezer

I had long resisted the idea of purchasing a freezer. I am aware the problem of owning a freezer where one has a tendency of hoarding too much food in the freezer. Packing away too much frozen food can lead to waste of the forgotten items in the bottom of the freezer. I finally caved in and bought one.

My friend Marc has been buying a half cow from a small farm near Scappoose, Oregon. The cows are grass fed with some grains also. While I have considered doing same the thought of 1/2 cow is just too much meat for me. Recently he told me he wants to cut back on the meat for his family so I offer to share the 1/2 cow he has already reserved.

What pushed me over the edge is the thought of able to get some fresh and good innards which simply cannot be found for sale, or the quality is not quite up to my expectation.

I did some research and very quickly concluded that most of the run of the mill chase freezers are made by one or two manufacturers despite the brands. They all have the compressor, control, and drain port at the same location. I initially settled on the GE 5 cubic feet which I could get at my local Home Depot for the fair price and clean look. Marc has one and it is very quiet owing to the small compressor. The chase type freezer is the best because you don't spill out the cold air when you access the content.

I am fortunate to have European washer and drier. They each occupies a 24" x 24" space. In my laundry room they leave a space of just shy of 24" which is perfect for locating the new chase freezer.
the space right of the washer is my planned location for the freezer.

Knowing Costco also carries a chase freezer I planned my trip well that day. I drove my VW Westfalia camper because of it spacious galley kitchen. I first went to Home Depot to see the 5 cu ft GE. It is $189 and in stock. I then went to Costco thinking it is also a 5 cu ft freezer of some generic brand.
It turned out the one at Costco is 7 cu ft. It is a Haier brand but you can tell it is all made by the same manufacturer that builds the GE. It is only $179. Naturally it is a few inches wider but I knew I have enough space. I decide to buy the Haier thinking all the cow bones that I can store.
it is very light and I had no problem manhandling it all by myself

no scratch or ding

it took a bit of maneuvering to get it into place

 there is 10" of space left even with the 7 cu ft freezer

 perfect with all three appliances - there is about 1/2 inch of clearance between them

 i instrumented up a electronic thermometer with thermalcouple to set the freezer temperature; i loaded it with some food and let the temperature stabilize overnight; i want to set it between 5F and -10F

According to the Energy Star label the annual operation cost is $30. It is very quiet so I am quite happy with it.

Back to the cow innards as well as the odd pieces I am excited to be able to get. What I have in mind are:

• tripe (this is green tripe)
• a bit of intestine
• speen
• heart
• tongue
• tail
• as much bone as I can get and store