Auto V Manual

[cuffs054]

Having had nothing but "No Frost" refers since the 70's I had forgotten the benes of manual defrost boxes.
The house has a modern refer and the cabin had frostless GE top mount (along with the Nautilus DW from hell) but the travel trailer "Casa de Half Wide" has an absorption duel fuel refer. I buy all my meats from a real life butcher and always have them wrapped/packed the same way.
Its interesting how much better/longer the meat keeps in the trailer as opposed to the house.
Yep, it's a PIA to defrost but the difference in long term food storage seems to be worth it. Even the refer part doesn't dry food out as quickly as the Amana in the house. Guess, it's because of no fan.
Plus the trailer refer is virtually silent.

 

[norgeway]

It really!

Does make a difference!!! Ice cream is always hard and never is freezer burned.

 

[yogitunes]

manual does make the food last longer.....without a doubt....

I have the issue in backwards order.....first I got a chest freezer, it has a button in the lid, once pulled it heats the inside enough to melt the coating of frost, by the time you get all the food out, take a plastic spatula and knock it all down....cleaned up and wiped out and ready for the food again....less than a 20 minute job....

so then I got a upright freezer, and did not get frost free...takes about 3 hours with a heating grid for it all to melt, where it gets in between all the double racks and hard to get at places....plus all the towels and trying to chip it all away....always a fun afternoon...NOT!.....I would have to say, a model like this should be frost free....learn the hard way...it may make the food last longer, but a PITA to defrost manually..

 

[fido]

I use an old washing up liquid bottle which I keep filling with hot water to squirt on the cooling racks etc. I've found the auto defrost appliances can allow ice build up in hidden places which eventually results in internal panels bulging or breaking.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I use the blow dryer to melt the ice off the coils under the shelves to make the defrosting fast. Most of the frost comes off in big chunks which fall onto the towel under the shelf I am defrosting.