# Do we need a freezer in Spain?



## Kezar001 (Mar 29, 2014)

We are planning to retire and spend more time in our Spanish house. We have just finished refurbing the bathroom and are planning to replace the fitted kitchen next before we arrive. The kitchen as it stands has a standalone fridge/ freezer in a unit on the end of the kitchen.

We are considering having a built in fridge and freezer separate which allows us more granite worktop space. Both built in units are much smaller than the stand alone which is the trade off. 

We currently only holiday at the house and only use the existing freezer for ice cubes and chilled glasses! 

In the UK we use the freezer a lot as we both work long days get home late etc...

My question would be in Spain spending much more time there do we need a built in freezer and what would we use it for?

We could put the existing fridge freezer up in the store room in the solarium which would give us some freezer space. 

With a kitchen and the cost associated you only really get one chance to get it right!

We have lots of supermarkets within walking distance so plan to eat more healthly when in Spain and will obviously have all day to plan meals, eat out a lot more, etc. so my current thinking is not to have a freezer in the kitchen and simply use the existing one relocated to the attic. It's a townhouse so the walk to the top to get ice cubes etc will also give me some more exercise!!


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## Leper (May 12, 2010)

No.


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

You can put it where you want but I would definitely have a freezer.

Save time and electric/ gas by batch cooking and freeze extra for another day. Whi wants to spend every day cooking!


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

brocher said:


> You can put it where you want but I would definitely have a freezer.
> 
> Save time and electric/ gas by batch cooking and freeze extra for another day. Whi wants to spend every day cooking!


I'm with Brocher on this one. And who wants to have to do grocery shopping every day? Besides, it's all fine and well when the weather is nice and you can enjoy the stroll to the shops, but in January during a pouring rainy streak I'd certainly rather open the freezer and pull out some frozen chops. 

I'd also ask myself if 15 years down the line that bit of exercise up and down stairs to get ice cubes will still be desirable. 

I'm having a bit of trouble visualizing the kitchen you're proposing, but if you're designing it so that a standard fridge/freezer can't be installed then I'd also think about resale value. I think you'd have a devil of a time selling a house with a kitchen without a fridge/freezer.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

In answer to your question - YES!

If you have neighbours who have huertas/os then you may well become a recipient of some of their surplus produce - so what do you do with 30kg broad beans, 20kg peaches, 50kg potatoes, etc. OK the potatoes you store in the dark; but the beans you have to shell and freeze; the peaches, often small and not worth using as eaters, you cut into small pieces and either sun-dry or stew, bag and freeze for use as pie fillings, etc., similarly with apples; tomatoes (can make up your own pasta sauce), onions, etc. 

You will notice that most Spanish supermarkets carry seasonal fruit and veg which usually looks much fresher than in UK (not suffering from jet-lag from travelling half way round the world to get to a supermarket near you) so there will often be times when certain things are not available. When they are plentiful and, usually, less expensive, buy extra and freeze the surplus.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

I bought a king size chest freezer recently even though I rarely buy frozen food. I bought my new freezer the day after my wife disappeared.................


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

My thoughts are that you should have one if you're reburbing - even if you dont use it, its there in case. Its easier not to use it than to find you wish you had - then of course if you ever want to sell, rent out..... its another feature...

Jo xxx


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## Maureen47 (Mar 27, 2014)

I would always have a freezer , much the same reasons as other posters , to have somewhere to freeze food to avoid waste and always have a meal available if you don't want to cook.


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

brocher said:


> You can put it where you want but I would definitely have a freezer.
> 
> Save time and electric/ gas by batch cooking and freeze extra for another day. Whi wants to spend every day cooking!


But doesn't it cost you to keep it frozen between the time you place it in the freezer and eventually take it out to cook it?

I would say no, you don't need one, unless you want ice.

But I have lots of shops within a two minute walk. I might think differently were that not the case.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

We need a much bigger one, the poor little one we had for years has seen better days.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

Don't know why It's such an emphatic NO from Leper
We have a fridge freezer in the kitchen, and a chest freezer, in the underbuild.
It would be nice to say I freeze my own cooking and vegetables, but I don't! Can't be bothered!
Rarely we go to Iceland, and might get a few ready meals in the summer as it is too hot to be standing around in the kitchen.
I use it for bread, milk, ice cream, meat, fish, and anything I can't get in the freezer upstairs.
We don't always want to go shopping every day, and I bet the average Spanish person doesn't either.
As for veg being a lot fresher- yes if your neighbour has just dug it up and placed it on your doorstep, otherwise it is no better than Tesco, where it is kept chilled and looks as fresh as the day it was flown over from Spain, in a couple of hours, more choice too, better 
than the left overs over here, and better than some of the jaded veg at the market, where it has sat for hours in the warm


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I wouldn't say a freezer is essential if you are only using the house for holidays. We didn't bother turning ours on when we only came here a week at a time; it uses a lot of electricity to get to the required low temperature. 

Now that we live here permanently though, I couldn't do without it.


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

For us, it is a MUST HAVE. We have one in the garage. 

The summer is soooooo very loooongggg here and with so many visits from friends and family (not a good idea living by the beach, let me tell you!!), we keep restocking the freezer with ICE (for the mojitos, gazpacho, and all sorts), and ice cream of all sorts, and 'popitos' from Mercadona, etc, etc, etc.... and vodka caramelo... and... and.. and... 

yeah, can't do without it!! 

The freezer that 'comes' with the fridge (in the kitchen) is just for the boring things like vegs and meat... pah!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

We have just had visitors for an overnight stay and dessert today was a peach pie made with peaches from last year out of the freezer.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

My friend just found a stork's head and a couple of swallows in her freezer. She'd rented the house out to a group of birdwatchers for a week. 

We're waiting to see whether anyone gets in touch asking her to send them on ...


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## smitty5668 (Feb 25, 2015)

i'd say yes. always handy for putting extra beers in when you run out in the fridge. just leave them in for half an hour and then transfer to fridge. i do this in uk as well as i can be a forgetful soul at times.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

smitty5668 said:


> i'd say yes. always handy for putting extra beers in when you run out in the fridge. just leave them in for half an hour and then transfer to fridge. i do this in uk as well as i can be a forgetful soul at times.


If I did that I'd forget they were in the freezer! Found a bottle of frozen cava once - not nice.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

extranjero said:


> As for veg being a lot fresher- yes if your neighbour has just dug it up and placed it on your doorstep, otherwise it is no better than Tesco, where it is kept chilled and looks as fresh as the day it was flown over from Spain, in a couple of hours, more choice too, better
> than the left overs over here, and better than some of the jaded veg at the market, where it has sat for hours in the warm


You can always revive wilted veg by cutting off the base of the stems and soaking in cold water for half an hour. Supermarket veg are chilled and kept in gas to retard ripening - try sniffing a bag of prewashed salad leaves when you open it!


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## smitty5668 (Feb 25, 2015)

Alcalaina said:


> If I did that I'd forget they were in the freezer! Found a bottle of frozen cava once - not nice.


did that once myself with a bottle of greek retsina, made for quite an interesting experiance


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## fcexpat (Sep 25, 2014)

We have a fridge freezer I the kitchen and a large fridge freezer in the man cave - fridge filled with beer and cold drinks - freezer filled with bread, ice cream and the tapas that are frozen from meals... easy lunches and batches of tomato sauce .......


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## Susanna345 (Apr 29, 2015)

A freezer is a must because the food will get rotten and you want to have some nice food like ice cream and a freezer will help keep it cold and nice.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Susanna345 said:


> A freezer is a must because the food will get rotten and you want to have some nice food like ice cream and a freezer will help keep it cold and nice.


or even make your own with all that lovely fresh fruit!


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Remember this is a holiday home we are talking about. Nothing is going to be hanging around long enough to go rotten and I'm sure the OP isn't going to be spending her holidays in the kitchen!


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## ddrysdale99 (Apr 3, 2014)

Alcalaina said:


> Remember this is a holiday home we are talking about. Nothing is going to be hanging around long enough to go rotten and I'm sure the OP isn't going to be spending her holidays in the kitchen!


I thought they were planning to retire and spend more time in their Spanish house.


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## musie (Dec 23, 2014)

Just moved to mallorca eat fresh every few days no need for freezer makes you plan meals better eating fresh food no waste and better for you xx


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

musie said:


> Just moved to mallorca eat fresh every few days no need for freezer makes you plan meals better eating fresh food no waste and better for you xx


The problem with that is, at the moment, fresh is in plentiful supply but that supply is seasonal. As the year wears on, what is fresh, changes. The way the traditional Spanish manage is to go with the fresh but put a certain amount of surplus into storage either using the old methods of drying, salting, bottling or the more modern way of freezing.

We freeze habas (broad beans) because when they are in season, there are just too many of them (everybody has hbas to give away). As summer moves on we will bottle some soft fruits (cherries, apricots, peaches); sun-dry others (peaches apricots, apples, tomatoes); and freeze loads as well.

Yes, a freezer is a good idea.


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