Chest Freezers

[KatieRae]

All of you raw feeding folk:

I'm looking at buying a chest freezer (considering I have almost 200# of meat coming in for Apollo), and I'm having a little bit of trouble.

I'd like to buy one that allows me to comfortably fit that amount of meat in it without stressing, and the Sears lady recommended I go with a 7.2 cubic foot freezer. Do you guys think this is going to be big enough?

I found one on sale for $170 so as soon as I have some validation, I'm going to spring and buy it before it goes off sale.

Thanks!

[SuzanneRM82]

I'm not gonna lie. I am insanely jealous that you have a good spot for chopping. I have to lay my big cutting board across the kitchen sink. It works, but isn't stable enough for hacking gleefully with a gigantic cleaver lol.

ETA: I'm also jealous of anybody who has room for a gigantic freezer. I can't wait until we buy this house and can get the back porch set up for a freezer out there.

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[mnmouse]

Kicks and spins and backflips...

Actually, I'm seriously scared of that cleaver. It's big and SHARP and totally capable of removing my fingers. I position the meat, then hold my left hand way up and away from my body (and no where near the cutting board!) and chop with my right.

[dn89lx]

Good, large garden shears work well, too. They don't cut meaty meat at all, though, I've discovered. A cleaver lets me slice and chop without switching tools.

I have a full back splash where I chop and nothing else on that particular area of counter. A quick spray of bleach and a wipe and no more splatter. I bleach after every meat session anyway. The splatter is a reasonable price (for me) to pay for chopping glee

I have quite the image in my head...picturing a bunch of various meats lined up, a cleaver getting wielded overhead, maybe with some spin moves as you work down the counter...and a texas chainsaw massacre like scene afterwards

Just cutting up the beef hearts provided quite a bloody scene, and that was just slicing lol

[dn89lx]

Yep. And all parts of a chicken/turkey.

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Nice...I'll give that a try for sure!

[mnmouse]

Good, large garden shears work well, too. They don't cut meaty meat at all, though, I've discovered. A cleaver lets me slice and chop without switching tools.

I have a full back splash where I chop and nothing else on that particular area of counter. A quick spray of bleach and a wipe and no more splatter. I bleach after every meat session anyway. The splatter is a reasonable price (for me) to pay for chopping glee

[SuzanneRM82]

These garden shears go through turkey necks no problem?

Yep. And all parts of a chicken/turkey.

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[dn89lx]

These garden shears go through turkey necks no problem?

[Maximus' Mom]

I have a good assortment of good cleavers (a gift from a friend who used to be a chef), but I prefer my super sharp chef's knife and a pair of garden shears. The shears chomp right through the bone, and there's no splatter. I cut meat inside because of our crop of lizards that chill on the porch, so I need a neat way to chop.

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I second the garden shears. I have a set to get through the bone....minimal effort!!

[SuzanneRM82]

I have a good assortment of good cleavers (a gift from a friend who used to be a chef), but I prefer my super sharp chef's knife and a pair of garden shears. The shears chomp right through the bone, and there's no splatter. I cut meat inside because of our crop of lizards that chill on the porch, so I need a neat way to chop.

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[dn89lx]

Get a heavy duty cleaver--I'm telling you, they are worth every penny. I got this one: http://www.eliterestaurantequipment....st4obh4fb1bph5

Cuts up a chicken carcass in like four chops. Goes right through pork neck bones. Seriously.

I'll check that out! My wife was like - you need to do this on a table outside LOL.

Especially if I can succeed in convincing her to get our second dane - she is on board for getting the Dane - but can't get past the sticker shock on reputable breeders. I may need to get creative - like tell her the puppy costs X dollars - and then make an anonymous "donation" from a bonus check for the balance

ETA: I was using a cheap cleaver just to slice up the pork loin and semi-frozen beef hearts and it went through all that with ease, but I am sure any sharp knife would. I was to worried about splatter to take a large hack at the turkey necks so I was using poultry shears to cut up to the bone, then doing whatever I could to cut through the vertebrae, lol...turned out pulling and twisting worked - was only cutting them in half. Some were 20ounces a piece, and I want to use them in conjunction with boneless meat and organs, not as a whole meal.

[oceanbluedanes]

Get a heavy duty cleaver--I'm telling you, they are worth every penny. I got this one: http://www.eliterestaurantequipment....st4obh4fb1bph5

Cuts up a chicken carcass in like four chops. Goes right through pork neck bones. Seriously.

I LOVE a good cleaver.

During turkey chopping season (weeks before Thanksgiving), I chop a LOT of turkeys. Unfortunately, the cleaver never survives the process (cheaper cleaver).

I will have to give this one a try.

[mnmouse]

Get a heavy duty cleaver--I'm telling you, they are worth every penny. I got this one: http://www.eliterestaurantequipment....st4obh4fb1bph5

Cuts up a chicken carcass in like four chops. Goes right through pork neck bones. Seriously.

[dn89lx]

Well, after a ridiculous amount of chaos from Best Buy after they tried sending me home with a half-crushed freezer, Apollo finally has his own freezer! Yay! Haha excuse the awkwardly colored floor; these apartments carpets change colors as you walk on them [emoji19]

He has that "I will guard this freezer with my life" look

After spending 3 hours cutting up 60lbs of beef heart, 30lbs of turkey necks (just cut them in half, but still a major PITA), and about 30lbs of pork loins, I am really wishing I got a bigger freezer. Not sure where the 30lbs of beef liver and 60lbs of boneless pork butts are going to go Freezer is almost full already. Granted, I could pack it a little better as it was midnight and I just wanted to get everything inside - but nonetheless, not going to fit another 90lbs in there.

[oceanbluedanes]

I have a chest freezer the same size. It holds about 250lbs of Blue Ridge Beef rolls.

I also have a 15+ cu ft upright that stores my chicken, turkey, pork and misc meats.