Midea MDRU229FZE01 upright freezer, 160 L, class E, 142 cm, 5 baskets/shelves, white

The advantage of an upright freezer over a chest is order: five baskets or shelves split the 160 litres into separate sections, so meat, fish, vegetables and ready meals can each have their own place. When you open the door you see right away what is where, without digging for packs stacked on top of each other. That is convenient when you take food from the freezer every day.

Freezing capacity tells you how much fresh, room-temperature food the freezer can freeze through within 24 hours – 7.2 kg for this model. That is enough for regular grocery shopping, berries or home baking. If you need to freeze more at once, spread it over several days so that food that is already frozen does not warm up.

The temperature is set with a mechanical thermostat, which is simple and does not depend on electronics. According to the manufacturer, defrosting is manual, so the ice that collects on the walls and baskets has to be removed from time to time: switch the freezer off, move the food elsewhere for a while and let the ice melt. Less ice builds up if the door is opened only when needed.

On the EU energy label scale from A to G, the freezer is class E, with an annual consumption of 183 kWh according to the manufacturer. The noise level is 42 dB with noise class D, so it is better placed in a kitchen, pantry or utility room than next to a bedroom. It runs on 220–240 V and plugs into an ordinary household socket.

The freezer is 55 cm wide, 55 cm deep and 142 cm tall, and weighs 41.5 kg. The small footprint makes it a good solution for a narrow kitchen, a hallway storage room or a flat with no space for a chest freezer. Adjustable feet let you level it on an uneven floor so that the door closes properly.

Midea MDRU229FZE01 suits a smaller household or a flat as an extra freezer when the freezer section of the kitchen fridge is not enough. Five baskets or shelves keep food sorted, and the 55 cm width fits spots where a chest freezer would not. Mechanical control keeps things simple for anyone who does not want electronic settings or a display.