Freezing water releases about 334 kJ per kilogram while staying at 0 °C. That is around 80 times the energy needed to cool the same water by one degree. This is why freezing food takes so long compared with chilling it: most of the work happens at the freezing point, where the thermometer barely moves.
Refrigerants use latent heat too. They absorb large amounts of heat as they boil in the evaporator and release it as they condense in the condenser, which is why they can move so much heat with a small charge.
In a cabinet there is also a latent load from moisture in the air. In monsoon months, humid air entering at every door opening condenses on the cold evaporator, and in a freezer it turns into frost. Removing that water takes energy and adds defrost work. A busy visi cooler in a humid coastal town carries a much bigger latent load than the same unit in a dry inland city.