It seems almost everyone except me has defrosted their deepfreezer during lockdown.

How do you find is the fastest way for you to defrost a chest freezer?

Switch freezer off at the wall
Empty all contents
1/2 fill a bucket with very hot water
Put bucket in the bottom of freezer
Close lid for 10mins (Time to sort, organise and dispose of anything that is no longer any good)
use a scraper to scrape the ice off
I use a dustpan (clean) to scoop out the ice
Wrap a towel onto a mop or broom and secure with a rubber band
Dry out the freezer
TURN FREEZER ON
Allow it to run for 5-10mins before putting goods back in.

I store my goods in plastic bins or sturdy boxes, makes organising and knowing whats in there much easier

I haven't, Marnie. It's too full of food!

Raewyn's suggestion of a bucket of hot water is great.. never tried that. I've always used a hairdryer and something flat to prise the ice sheets from the wall.

Fortunately mine wasn't overflowing so I transferred the contents to the kitchen fridge/freezer and the bar fridge/freezer, left non-critical items on the bench (chiller bricks, nuts, flour, etc) and switched it off leaving the door open. The next day I just had to dispose of the water, wipe it out and switch it back on again.

Not the fastest way but the least labour intensive.

I used to use a large stainless steel bowl of boiling hot water but then discovered the hairdryer method and that is best by far.. The thing with the hairdryer method is it makes the ice melt between the freezer wall and the block of ice really well, quickly creating a gap. You then insert a non-sharp tool (e.g. a dinner cutlery knife) into this gap and the whole block of ice comes off the wall easy as. No scraping needed. Your entire freezer can be done swiftly and there's hardly any small bits of ice or melted debris to wipe up.

I use the hair drier too, but always mindful of that awful scene on Coro where Ken's wife died after dropping her hair drier in the bath, so I try to ensure I'm not standing in any puddles!

I also use my hair drier to dry off pork skin when I want really crispy crackling, but that's a whole 'nother story.

AFTER defrosting my freezer, I always wipe a little vegetable oil all over the walls of the freezer, making it much easier to remove ice next time it needs defrosting. I use the bowl of hot water method just to get things started then it's a matter of minutes till the sheets of ice fall off, mostly by themselves. For any stubborn bits, I use the scraping tool that came with the freezer to gently slide between the edge of any sheet of ice and the freezer wall and the ice immediately drops off, usually in one big sheet. Then I toss them out the backdoor onto the lawn. (My freezer is in the laundry.) Like RaewynG, I use a dustpan to pick bits up smaller bits off the bottom of the freezer. Then a quick wipe over with very thin smear of oil over the walls, replace the food and turn it back on.

Oh it hasn't occurred to me to defrost my freezer and like you Marnie, mine is too full to even contemplate it.

Griz your story has made me smile as yes I use my hair dryer to dry off both duck and pork skin.

Thanks everyone for your help and comments.

The deed has now been done, and what a relief. It's not that I had suddenly become lazy but crutches and many household things had been put on the back burner and I saw lockdown as a chance to do some of those things.

We didn't use the hairdryer, although we have in the past but we found an infrared lamp downstairs in the back of the garage where the chest freezer is, that was used too, very successfully. My husband did most of the initial work while I sorted out the contents. I think we have enough of those handy steam fresh vegetables to last a while. I didn't even know I had two lots of corned silverside in there.

Probably a very silly question but we had a chest freezer and I was so glad to get rid of it. The reason? I couldn’t reach further than the depth of the first basket as I am too short. No way I could try and defrost it as I could only reach the top half. Am I the only one with that problem? I was so glad to get rid of it and purchase an upright with shelves.

And Marnie I hope you are recovered. What were the crutches for?

Ooh Irene, way to go. Vertical freezer is on my must-have-not-too-far-in-the-future list. I am so sick of chest freezers. They're like a toy box - sounds good in theory but terrible in reality.

I'm quite small and I remember having a chest freezer that I couldn't reach into properly. I ended up with mysterious freezer-burned packages that had been in the bottom for years. I hated it and in the past several decades I have only ever had vertical freezers.

As I recall, the supposed advantage of chest freezers was that they maintained their temperature better than vertical ones and so were cheaper to run, but I think with modern technology that is not an issue.

My only issue with vertical freezers is -- can you fit a baking sheet in it? If so, we're all good.. otherwise, chest it has to be!

We had a vertical freezer when my children were babies and it was fine. As they got older, they of course started to eat more and we moved out of the city. It became clear that the size limitations of the vertical freezer weren't going to cut it, so it sold and a chest model bought.

There is no denying, however, that there are very likely several prehistoric packets of half eaten frozen corn and puff pastry sheets down there.....

You are right Jenna as to how much they can fit. Plus family size can have a big bearing on choice as well

As you say, they aren't very good not only for larger items but also if you need to put a baking tray size of something to freeze or similar. But on the plus side, there isn't as much wastage. Having a husband who is an Engineer, he insists on lists, ie how many we have of the same chicken breasts x 4 for instance. And then they are 'filed' in the freezer with the oldest on the top.

On another stance, talking above about the small fridge with a freezer on top. Whoever thought of that design needs a bullet in their head. You use the fridge more than you use the freezer, which should be on the bottom.

I am the same, Irene....I am not tall...I keep thinking when I grow up, I am going to be tall.

It can have certain advantages that I can't see the dust on top of some things. The long handled dusters are very useful. Plus I frequently can't reach high up items in the supermarket and a knight in shining armour/tee shirt and jeans/business suit arrives and rescues me. Gallantry isn't completely dead.

This is not a large freezer but like the royal family I don't just dispose anything that is still usable if I can help it. Men don't seem to feel that way about their vehicles unless they are their pride and joy.

I laughed about the prehistoric items comment from Jenna.

ps, Irene I had the crutches or a cane aid while waiting for and post op knee surgery, which then morphed into a glute muscle and lower back problem. I have an excellent physiotherapist who has done wonders. I am improving greatly.

Marnie, I enjoy your sense of humour and delightful turn of phrase, thank you.

I love my vertical drawer freezer but I am always conscious that every time I open the door, all that cold air comes tumbling out and I feel it on my feet - unlike a chest freezer. So whilst it is may be that modern technology has aided in vertical freezers being more efficient in maintaining their temperature you do need to be aware that it will struggle more if you use it often.

J1 thanks for your comments.

I defrosted our chest freezer, and made a list of everything in it! Feeling very pure. We also have a large vertical, with the intention of getting rid of the chest freezer. Every time the chest is close to being empty, something happens and it’s full again. I also have three fridge freezers, with large bottom freezers! And a small chest freezer that has our sons crayfish bait in it. And......... there are only two of us!

I started making great headway with the chest freezer during lockdown, but ended up putting lots of stewed feijoas in it......... oh well. The big vertical needs a big sort out too as when it’s so full stuff just gets jammed in where there’s a gap, instead in it’s allocated drawer. I intended to do that once I’d used enough stuff to make it easy. Hasn’t happened yet, but at least I don’t have to defrost it!

Janet or Emma, if you have Excel you can create a 'Living Inventory' of what is in your freezer. It might take a bit of discipline and memory (yours) to start with, but once you get in the habit it makes managing your freezer a piece of cake. It's also useful for planning what to eat next week and add items to your shopping list. Here's what I do:

I have listed everthing I've got in the freezer in groups, i.e. Meat & Fish, Vegetables, Desserts, Soups, Miscellaneous. As I buy something, I add it to the appropriate group and when I take an item out, instead of removing it, I used to use the 'strikeout' in Excel, but it can be a bit hard to see so I changed it to highlighting with a suitable colour instead. When planning my meals and doing my shopping list, I open Excel and can instantly see what I need. When I get home from shopping, I re-open Excel and unhighlight anything I have bought. It's easy to add new items to any group or delete items that I no longer buy.